Books have been said on this topic, and the conflict and discord about where the "hot" video slots are located in a casino are still bubbling – 60 yrs after one armed bandits were 1st added to the gaming floor in casinos.
The quintessential rule is that the best one armed bandits were positioned just inside the main foyer of the casino; so that individuals going by would see actual jackpot winners … be possessed to come unto the gaming floor … play. Our deduction is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Many of the major casinos nowadays are jumbo complexes and it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot machines in close proximity to any doorways.
Another standard rule is that loose slot games are located on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more persons could see winning jackpots and be motivated to play. Interestingly 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 slots 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 very 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 slot games.