Volumes have been written on this subject, and the conflict and disharmony about where the "hot" slot machines are positioned in a casino are still there – over sixty yrs after the slot machines were first placed in gambling dens.
The quintessential rule is that the better slots were installed just inside the main entry of the casino; so that individuals going by would be able to see jackpot winners … be infatuated enough to come inside and play. Our view is that this is not so anymore.
Nearly all of the big name casinos today are immense complexes … you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot games in close proximity to any of the doors.
Another classic rule is that loose slot machines are located on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more potential gamblers could see winning jackpots and be energized to play. Interestingly though, 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 the slot machines 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 perspective about where to place the loose slot machine games.