Books have been stated on this topic, and the debates and discourse about where the "hot" slot machines are positioned in a casino are still intense – 60 years after slot machines were first placed in gambling dens.
The quintessential rule is that the superior slots were put just inside the main entrance of the casino; so that individuals going by would see jackpot winners … be inspired to come unto the gaming floor … play. Our thought is that this is no longer true.
Almost all of the major casinos today are super-colossal complexes … you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ one armed bandits close-by any entrances or exits.
Yet another traditional rule is that loose slot machine games are put on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be inspired to play. Interestingly though, 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 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 philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.