Volumes have been stated on this issue, and the bickering and discourse about where the "hot" slots are positioned in the casino are still on-going – more than 60 years after one armed bandits were first placed in the casinos.
The traditional rule is that the best slot machines were placed just inside the main door of the casino; so that folks walking by would be able to see jackpot winners and be intrigued enough to come into the casino … play. Our deduction is that this is definitely no longer true.
Practically all of the major casinos today are colossal complexes … it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ slot machines near to any entrances.
Yet another standard rule is that loose slot machines are placed on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more fun seekers could see winning jackpots and be influenced to play. Notably however, we find that this also is not 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!
These days, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.