Books have been said on this topic, and the debates and discourse about where the "hot" slot machines are installed in the casino are still rampant – more than 60 years after slot machine games were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The standard rule is that the best slot machines were placed just inside the main door of the casino; so that people going by would be able to see actual jackpot winners and be inspired to come inside and play. Our finding is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Just about all of the major casinos today are magnificent complexes and it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ one armed bandits close to any doors.
Yet another standard rule is that loose slot games are put on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be energized to play. Nonetheless, 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 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 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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slots.