Books have been set forth on this matter, and the bickering and arguments about where the "hot" slot machine games are placed in the casino are still happening – more than sixty yrs after the slot machines were first installed in casinos.
The classic rule is that the more favourable slot machine games were located just inside the main entryway of the casino; so that people walking by would be able to see actual jackpot winners … be tempted to come inside and play. Our viewpoint is that this is not so anymore.
Just about all of the major casinos these days are grand complexes … it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ one armed bandits near to any doorways.
An additional classic rule is that loose slot machine games are put on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more fun seekers could see winning jackpots and be roused to play. Nonetheless, 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 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 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 slots.