Volumes have been set forth on this issue, and the debates and disharmony about where the "hot" slot machines are placed in a casino are still ongoing – sixty years after slots were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The classic rule is that the more favourable slot machines were located just inside the main doorway of the casino; so that potential players passing by would be able to see real jackpot winners … be titillated to come inside and play. Our interpretation is that this is no longer the case.
The great majority of the major casinos presently are mammoth complexes and it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to situate the ‘loose’ slot machines near to any entrances.
An additional standard rule is that loose slot machine games are put on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be influenced to play. Importantly though, we find that this also is no longer a universal rule.
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 perspective about where to place the loose slot machine games.