Volumes have been set forth on this issue, and the bickering and discourse about where the "hot" slot machine games are located in the casino are still intense – 60 yrs after slot machines were first placed in gambling dens.
The quintessential rule is that the superior one armed bandits were placed just inside the main doorway of the casino; so that people passing by would be able to see real jackpot winners and be stimulated to come inside and play. Our resolve is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Practically all of the mega casinos presently are enormous complexes … you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ slot games in close proximity to any entrances.
Another classic rule is that loose slot machines are put on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more persons could see winning jackpots and be motivated 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 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 games.