Books have been set forth on this topic, and the disquiet and squabbling about where the "hot" slots are installed in the casino are still there – over 60 years after the slot machines were first added to the gaming floor in the casinos.
The classic rule is that the most favorable slots were placed just inside the entry of the casino; so that individuals walking by would be able to see actual jackpot winners and be impressed enough to come unto the gambling floor … play. Our slant is that this is not so anymore.
The majority of the major casinos presently are monstrous complexes and you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot games in close proximity to any entrances.
An additional traditional rule is that loose slot machines are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more persons could see winning jackpots and be energized to play. Interestingly though, 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 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 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 perspective about where to place the loose slot machine games.