Books have been said on this subject, and the conflict and disagreement about where the "hot" slot machines are positioned in a casino are still taking place – 60 years after slot games were first placed in gambling houses.
The traditional rule is that the better slot machines were placed just inside the main entryway of the casino; so that individuals walking by would be able to see jackpot winners and be infatuated enough to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our determination is that this is no longer true.
The majority of the mega casinos presently are magnificent complexes … now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ one armed bandits near to any doorways.
Yet another traditional rule is that loose slot machines are installed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential gamblers could see winning jackpots and be roused to play. Importantly however, 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 slot 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.