Books have been said on this topic, and the debates and disharmony about where the "hot" slots are placed in the casino are still passionate – over 60 yrs after the slots were 1st placed in the casinos.
The standard rule is that the superior one armed bandits were installed just inside the main entryway of the casino; so that folks passing by would see jackpot winners … be inspired to come unto the gambling floor … play. Our sentiment is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Most of the large casinos nowadays are huge complexes … you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ slot games in close proximity to any of the doors.
An additional traditional rule is that loose slots are located on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be motivated to play. Nonetheless, 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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slots.