Volumes have been said on this subject, and the controversy and discussion about where the "hot" slot machine games are located in a casino are still intense – more than 60 years after slot games were 1st placed in casinos.
The standard rule is that the most favorable slot games were placed just inside the main entry of the casino; so that persons going by would see actual jackpot winners and be enthralled to come inside and play. Our frame of mind is that this is definitely no longer so.
Many of the major casinos these days are humongous complexes … you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ one armed bandits in close proximity to any doorways.
Yet another traditional rule is that loose slot machines are positioned on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be roused to play. Importantly though, we find that this also is no longer a universal rule.
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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slots.