Books have been stated on this matter, and the conflict and feuds about where the "hot" slot machine games are positioned in the casino are still bubbling – over 60 yrs after one armed bandits were first installed in the casinos.
The standard rule is that the very best slot games were installed just inside the main entry of the casino; so that potential gamblers going by would see real jackpot winners … be impressed enough to come into the casino and play. Our viewpoint is that this is not so anymore.
Almost all of the large casinos presently are gigantic complexes … you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ slot machines in close proximity to any doors.
An additional standard rule is that loose slot games are installed on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more people could see winning jackpots and be motivated to play. Nonetheless, 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 the 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 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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slot games.