Books have been written on this topic, and the bickering and discussion about where the "hot" video slots are located in the casino are still rampant – over 60 yrs after slot machine games were first added to the gaming floor in the casinos.
The quintessential rule is that the very best slot machines were placed just inside the main entrance of the casino; so that fun seekers walking by would be able to see actual jackpot winners … be possessed to come unto the gaming floor … play. Our view is that this is definitely no longer so.
Nearly all of the mega casinos nowadays are grand complexes … you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ slot machines near any entrances.
Another classic rule is that loose slot games are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be inspired to play. Importantly 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 the 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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slot machine games.