Books have been set forth on this subject, and the disquiet and discussion about where the "hot" slot machine games are installed in the casino are still passionate – 60 years after the slot machines were 1st installed in the casinos.
The quintessential rule is that the more favourable slot games were positioned just inside the main entryway of the casino; so that people walking by would be able to see actual jackpot winners … be intrigued enough to come unto the gambling floor … play. Our conclusion is that this is not so anymore.
Just about all of the large casinos nowadays are super-colossal complexes … it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot machine games in close proximity to any exits.
Yet another standard rule is that loose slots are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more potential gamblers could see winning jackpots and be encouraged to play. Interestingly though, we find that this also is not 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 philosophy about where to place the loose slots.