Volumes have been said on this subject, and the controversy and disagreement about where the "hot" slot machine games are placed in a casino are still on-going – more than 60 years after slot machines were first added to the gaming floor in casinos.
The standard rule is that the very best slot machine games were positioned just inside the main doorway of the casino; so that people passing by would be able to see actual jackpot winners and be mesmerized enough to come into the casino … play. Our sneaking suspicion is that this is definitely no longer true.
The great majority of the major casinos nowadays are oversized complexes and it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ slots in close proximity to any entrances or exits.
Yet another traditional rule is that loose slots are put on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be inspired to play. Importantly however, we find that this also is not a universal rule any more.
What casinos found over the years is that people walking down the busy aisles were frequently on the way to somewhere else. If they played slots at all, they would simply put in their loose change because they happened to be walking by. Win or lose, they would very often not stop to keep playing. And the last thing a casino wants is for someone to win a jackpot by playing only a few coins and then not stay to put it all back in!
These days, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slot machine games.