Books have been written on this item, and the contention and squabbling about where the "hot" video slots are located in a casino are still passionate – over 60 yrs after slots were first placed in casinos.
The traditional rule is that the most favorable one armed bandits were installed just inside the main entry of the casino; so that folks walking by would see jackpot winners and be tempted to come into the casino and play. Our disposition is that this is no longer the case.
The great majority of the major casinos today are grand complexes … it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot games in close proximity to any doors.
Another traditional rule is that loose one armed bandits are placed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more persons could see winning jackpots and be motivated 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 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 philosophy about where to place the loose slot machines.