Books have been written on this topic, and the controversy and interchanges about where the "hot" slot machines are positioned in the casino are still ongoing – 60 years after one armed bandits were 1st added to the gaming floor in gambling houses.
The standard rule is that the superior slots were positioned just inside the main doorway of the casino; so that everyone walking by would see actual jackpot winners … be possessed to come inside and play. Our viewpoint is that this is no longer the case.
The great majority of the major casinos nowadays are oversized complexes and you can no longer see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ slot machines close to any entrances.
An additional standard rule is that loose slot machines are placed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential players 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 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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose slot games.