Books have been said on this topic, and the disquiet and discussion about where the "hot" slot games are located in the casino are still passionate – more than 60 yrs after slot machines were first placed in gambling dens.
The traditional rule is that the superior slot machines were put just inside the main entryway of the casino; so that casino fanatics going by would be able to see actual jackpot winners and be smitten to come unto the gaming floor … play. Our inclination is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Almost all of the large casinos today are huge complexes and now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ one armed bandits near to any entrances.
Another traditional rule is that loose slot machine games are installed on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more fun seekers could see winning jackpots and be inspired to play. Notably however, 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 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!
These days, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slot games.
