Books have been written on this matter, and the controversy and face-offs about where the "hot" slot machine games are placed in a casino are still rampant – more than 60 years after the slots were first placed in gambling houses.
The standard rule is that the better slot machine games were located just inside the entrance of the casino; so that individuals going by would see actual jackpot winners … be convinced to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our persuasion is that this is definitely no longer so.
Nearly all of the major casinos nowadays are colossal complexes and you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ one armed bandits close-by any doorways.
Yet another standard rule is that loose slot machines are located on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more potential players 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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slot machine games.