Volumes have been stated on this issue, and the contention and face-offs about where the "hot" slots are located in the casino are still there – more than 60 yrs after slot machines were first placed in the casinos.
The classic rule is that the best slot machine games were located just inside the main doorway of the casino; so that potential gamblers going by would be able to see jackpot winners and be enticed to come inside and play. Our point of view is that this is no longer true.
The majority of the big name casinos nowadays are monstrous complexes … you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ slot games near to any doors.
Another standard rule is that loose slots are placed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be encouraged to play. Interestingly though, we find that this also isn’t 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 slots 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 slot machines.