Books have been said on this subject, and the debates and disharmony about where the "hot" slot machines are installed in a casino are still rampant – over 60 years after slot machines were first installed in casinos.
The traditional rule is that the more favourable slot machine games were installed just inside the main doorway of the casino; so that everyone walking by would see real jackpot winners and be captivated to come unto the gaming floor … play. Our inference is that this is no longer the case.
Nearly all of the big name casinos nowadays are behemothic complexes and you no longer can see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ slot games near any entrances.
Another traditional rule is that loose one armed bandits are installed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential gamblers could see winning jackpots and be roused to play. 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 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!
Nowadays, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slot machines.