Books have been written on this matter, and the bickering and discourse about where the "hot" one armed bandits are located in a casino are still there – 60 yrs after slots were 1st placed in gambling dens.
The standard rule is that the most favorable slot machines were put just inside the main entryway of the casino; so that everyone passing by would be able to see real jackpot winners … be attracted to come unto the gambling floor and play. Our persuasion is that this is definitely no longer the case.
Practically all of the large casinos today are massive complexes and it’s no longer possible to see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to have the ‘loose’ slot games near any exits.
An additional standard rule is that loose one armed bandits are located on the major aisles inside the casinos, again so that more folks could see winning jackpots and be energized to play. Notably however, 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 slot games 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 slot games.