Volumes have been set forth on this topic, and the debates and feuds about where the "hot" slot games are installed in a casino are still there – 60 yrs after slot machine games were 1st placed in gambling houses.
The quintessential rule is that the more favourable slot machines were positioned just inside the entrance of the casino; so that casino fanatics walking by would be able to see real jackpot winners … be drawn to come unto the gaming floor … play. Our verdict is that this is definitely no longer true.
The great majority of the large casinos presently are gigantic complexes … you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to position the ‘loose’ slot machine games in close proximity to any entrances.
An additional traditional rule is that loose slot machines are positioned on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be roused to play. Importantly though, 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 one armed bandits 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!
Nowadays, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slots.