Slot Machine positioning
Books have been said on this issue, and the disquiet and discourse about where the "hot" slots are located in a casino are still on-going – over sixty years after slot machines were first placed in gambling houses.
The classic rule is that the best slot games were installed just inside the main entry of the casino; so that everyone walking by would be able to see actual jackpot winners and be enticed to come unto the gaming floor and play. Our observation is that this is not so anymore.
Many of the mega casinos today are colossal complexes … it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slots near to any exits.
Yet another traditional rule is that loose slot machine games are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more potential players could see winning jackpots and be motivated to play. However, 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 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!
These days, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slot machines.