Books have been set forth on this matter, and the contention and squabbling about where the "hot" slot machine games are positioned in a casino are still bubbling – more than sixty years after slots were first placed in the casinos.
The quintessential rule is that the more favourable slot machine games were located just inside the main foyer of the casino; so that potential players walking by would see actual jackpot winners and be enticed to come unto the gambling floor … play. Our sneaking suspicion is that this is no longer true.
The majority of the big name casinos today are monstrous complexes … you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ slot machines close-by any of the doors.
Another classic rule is that loose slot machines are located on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be inspired to play. Notably 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 slot machine 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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slot machines.