Volumes have been written on this topic, and the disquiet and disagreement about where the "hot" slots are installed in the casino are still intense – more than sixty yrs after slot games were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The standard rule is that the better slot machine games were located just inside the entrance of the casino; so that potential gamblers passing by would be able to see actual jackpot winners and be mesmerized enough to come inside and play. Our view is that this is not so anymore.
Many of the large casinos these days are giant complexes and you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ slot games close-by any of the doors.
An additional traditional rule is that loose slot machine games are installed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be inspired to play. Notably 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 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 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 slot machine games.