Books have been set forth on this subject, and the disquiet and ruckus about where the "hot" video slots are placed in a casino are still passionate – sixty years after slot machines were first placed in casinos.
The quintessential rule is that the very best slot machines were put just inside the main entryway of the casino; so that casino fanatics passing by would be able to see jackpot winners … be possessed to come into the casino … play. Our observation is that this is not so anymore.
The great majority of the mega casinos presently are behemothic complexes … it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ slots near to any doorways.
Yet another classic rule is that loose slot machines are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be inspired to play. Nonetheless, 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 perspective about where to place the loose slot machines.