Books have been stated on this topic, and the bickering and discourse about where the "hot" one armed bandits are placed in the casino are still taking place – more than 60 years after the slot machines were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The standard rule is that the superior slots were put just inside the door of the casino; so that fun seekers going by would see real jackpot winners and be enthralled to come unto the gaming floor … play. Our persuasion is that this is definitely no longer so.
The great majority of the large casinos these days are monstrous complexes … it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there is no longer a reason to put the ‘loose’ one armed bandits in close proximity to any of the doors.
Another standard rule is that loose one armed bandits are installed on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more fun seekers could see winning jackpots and be roused to play. Notably however, 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 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 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!
These days, casinos are constantly changing their philosophy about where to place the loose slots.