Volumes have been said on this issue, and the controversy and discussion about where the "hot" slots are placed in the casino are still intense – over 60 yrs after slot machines were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The classic rule is that the superior slots were put just inside the main entrance of the casino; so that folks going by would be able to see jackpot winners … be drawn to come into the casino and play. Our philosophy is that this is not so anymore.
Just about all of the big name casinos these days are giant complexes and now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot machines near any doorways.
An additional standard rule is that loose slot machines are put on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more persons could see winning jackpots and be influenced to play. Notably 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 the slot machines 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!
Nowadays, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slot machine games.