Volumes have been said on this matter, and the conflict and discourse about where the "hot" video slots are installed in a casino are still taking place – more than 60 yrs after slot machines were first placed in casinos.
The standard rule is that the best slot games were placed just inside the entry of the casino; so that potential players going by would see jackpot winners … be aroused to come into the casino … play. Our conclusion is that this is not so anymore.
Almost all of the mega casinos nowadays are mammoth complexes and now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ slot machine games near to any doorways.
An additional traditional rule is that loose slot games are placed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be encouraged to play. Importantly 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 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 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 machines.