Volumes have been stated on this matter, and the contention and disharmony about where the "hot" slot machines are positioned in a casino are still passionate – more than sixty years after slot machines were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The quintessential rule is that the more favourable slot machines were installed just inside the main foyer of the casino; so that individuals walking by would see real jackpot winners and be smitten to come unto the gaming floor and play. Our leaning is that this is not so anymore.
The great majority of the major casinos today are immense complexes … it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot games in close proximity to any of the doors.
An additional classic rule is that loose slots are placed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be galvanized 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.