Books have been stated on this topic, and the debates and discord about where the "hot" slots are located in a casino are still ongoing – more than sixty years after slot machine games were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The classic rule is that the more favourable slot machine games were positioned just inside the main entryway of the casino; so that people passing by would be able to see real jackpot winners and be titillated to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our opinion is that this is no longer true.
Practically all of the mega casinos presently are grand complexes and you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ slots close to any of the doors.
Yet another classic 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 influenced 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 slot 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 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 one armed bandits.