Books have been written on this subject, and the contention and ruckus about where the "hot" video slots are installed in a casino are still there – 60 years after the slots were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The traditional rule is that the most favorable one armed bandits were located just inside the main doorway of the casino; so that persons walking by would see actual jackpot winners … be titillated to come unto the gaming floor and play. Our theorem is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Practically all of the big name casinos nowadays are jumbo complexes and it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot machines near to any entrances.
Yet another traditional rule is that loose one armed bandits are installed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be encouraged 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 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 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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slot games.