Books have been written on this matter, and the controversy and disharmony about where the "hot" slots are positioned in a casino are still passionate – over sixty years after one armed bandits were first installed in casinos.
The quintessential rule is that the best slot games were placed just inside the main entry of the casino; so that persons walking by would be able to see actual jackpot winners … be stimulated to come unto the gaming floor … play. Our verdict is that this is definitely no longer true.
The great majority of the major casinos these days are giant complexes … now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ slot machine games near to any of the doors.
Another standard rule is that loose slot machine games are positioned on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be inspired to play. Interestingly though, 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 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 very 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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slot machines.