Books have been said on this matter, and the conflict and discord about where the "hot" slots are installed in the casino are still bubbling – more than 60 yrs after the slot machines were 1st placed in casinos.
The quintessential rule is that the best slot machines were put just inside the entry of the casino; so that everyone passing by would see actual jackpot winners and be mesmerized enough to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our position is that this is definitely no longer so.
Just about all of the major casinos presently are humongous complexes … you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ slot machines close-by any doors.
Another traditional rule is that loose slot machine games are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more potential gamblers could see winning jackpots and be energized 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 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 slot games.