Volumes have been written on this subject, and the controversy and arguments about where the "hot" slot machines are located in a casino are still intense – over sixty years after slots were 1st placed in casinos.
The traditional rule is that the best slot machines were positioned just inside the main doorway of the casino; so that individuals going by would be able to see actual jackpot winners and be convinced to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our speculation is that this is definitely no longer so.
The great majority of the big name casinos these days are jumbo complexes … you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ slot machine games close-by any exits.
Another traditional rule is that loose slot machine games are located on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more fun seekers could see winning jackpots and be energized to play. Notably though, 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 the slot machines 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!
Nowadays, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose one armed bandits.