Books have been written on this topic, and the conflict and face-offs about where the "hot" slot machine games are positioned in the casino are still happening – more than sixty years after the slots were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The classic rule is that the best slots were positioned just inside the main entryway of the casino; so that casino fanatics walking by would see jackpot winners and be attracted to come into the casino and play. Our inference is that this is not so anymore.
Practically all of the mega casinos today are humongous complexes … it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ slot machine games near any entrances.
An additional classic rule is that loose slots are located on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more fun seekers could see winning jackpots and be inspired to play. Importantly 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 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!
Nowadays, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose one armed bandits.