Books have been said on this item, and the disquiet and disagreement about where the "hot" video slots are located in the casino are still raging – over 60 yrs after the slot machines were first installed in gambling dens.
The traditional rule is that the more favourable slot machines were positioned just inside the main doorway of the casino; so that potential gamblers passing by would be able to see jackpot winners … be enticed to come unto the gaming floor … play. Our philosophy is that this is definitely no longer true.
The majority of the big name casinos nowadays are grand complexes and it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ slot games near any of the doors.
Another classic rule is that loose slot machine games are installed on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be encouraged to play. Notably 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 slot machine 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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.