Volumes have been said on this subject, and the debates and feuds about where the "hot" slot machines are positioned in the casino are still taking place – over 60 yrs after the slot machines were 1st added to the gaming floor in gambling dens.
The classic rule is that the better one armed bandits were put just inside the entry of the casino; so that everyone walking by would see real jackpot winners and be possessed to come unto the gaming floor and play. Our presumption is that this is no longer the case.
Many of the mega casinos presently are immense complexes and now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ slots close to any exits.
Another classic rule is that loose slot games are placed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential gamblers could see winning jackpots and be motivated to play. Importantly however, 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 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!
Today, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose one armed bandits.