Volumes have been set forth on this matter, and the conflict and feuds about where the "hot" slot games are positioned in a casino are still passionate – over 60 years after slot machine games were first installed in the casinos.
The quintessential rule is that the most favorable slot machine games were positioned just inside the main entry of the casino; so that people going by would be able to see jackpot winners … be stimulated to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our speculation is that this is definitely no longer true.
Most of the major casinos these days are immense complexes … it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ slot machine games near any doorways.
An additional classic rule is that loose slot games are placed on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be galvanized to play. Importantly however, 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!
These days, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slot machines.