Volumes have been set forth on this matter, and the controversy and discord about where the "hot" slot games are located in a casino are still intense – more than 60 yrs after slot machine games were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The quintessential rule is that the more favourable slot machines were placed just inside the main foyer of the casino; so that people walking by would see jackpot winners and be possessed to come inside … play. Our speculation is that this is definitely no longer so.
The majority of the major casinos today are oversized complexes and you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ slot machines close-by any entrances.
An additional classic rule is that loose one armed bandits are put on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more fun seekers 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 machine 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 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.