Volumes have been written on this topic, and the contention and discord about where the "hot" slot games are positioned in the casino are still happening – over 60 yrs after slots were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The standard rule is that the superior slot machine games were positioned just inside the main door of the casino; so that casino fanatics going by would see real jackpot winners … be attracted to come unto the gaming floor and play. Our speculation is that this is no longer true.
Nearly all of the big name casinos presently are humongous complexes … it is not possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ slot machine games near any doorways.
Another traditional rule is that loose one armed bandits are positioned on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be motivated to play. Importantly 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 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!
In recent times, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose one armed bandits.