Volumes have been written on this topic, and the conflict and squabbling about where the "hot" slot machines are positioned in a casino are still happening – more than 60 yrs after the slot machines were first added to the gaming floor in gambling dens.
The classic rule is that the better slots were positioned just inside the main entrance of the casino; so that fun seekers passing by would be able to see real jackpot winners and be tempted to come unto the gaming floor … play. Our conclusion is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Nearly all of the major casinos nowadays are immense complexes and now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ slot games near any doorways.
Another traditional rule is that loose slot machine games are put on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more potential gamblers could see winning jackpots and be galvanized to play. Interestingly 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 the slots 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!
These days, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.