Volumes have been said on this issue, and the debates and disharmony about where the "hot" slot machines are located in a casino are still on-going – more than 60 yrs after the slot machines were 1st added to the gaming floor in gambling dens.
The traditional rule is that the better slots were positioned just inside the main door of the casino; so that individuals going by would see actual jackpot winners and be challenged to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our assessment is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Just about all of the major casinos these days are enormous complexes … now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ slot machine games in close proximity to any entrances or exits.
Another traditional rule is that loose slot games are placed on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be energized to play. Nonetheless, we find that this also is no longer a universal rule.
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 slot games 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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slots.