Slot Machine Location
Books have been stated on this subject, and the contention and ruckus about where the "hot" slots are positioned in a casino are still rampant – more than sixty years after the slot machines were 1st installed in gambling houses.
The standard rule is that the most favorable slot machines were positioned just inside the main door of the casino; so that everyone going by would be able to see real jackpot winners … be challenged to come unto the gaming floor and play. Our observation is that this is definitely no longer true.
The great majority of the large casinos nowadays are grand complexes and you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slots in close proximity to any of the doors.
Yet another classic rule is that loose slots are located on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential gamblers could see winning jackpots and be roused to play. Notably 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 one armed bandits 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!
Nowadays, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slots.