Books have been stated on this topic, and the contention and discord about where the "hot" slot games are positioned in the casino are still ongoing – over 60 yrs after slot games were 1st added to the gaming floor in the casinos.
The classic rule is that the better slot machines were located just inside the door of the casino; so that fun seekers passing by would see jackpot winners and be convinced to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our thought is that this is no longer the case.
Almost all of the mega casinos today are enormous complexes and now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ one armed bandits near any doors.
Another classic rule is that loose one armed bandits are positioned on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential gamblers could see winning jackpots and be encouraged to play. Notably though, 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 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 philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.