A slit or narrow opening, especially one for receiving something, as a coin or letter. Also: an allocated time and space for a plane to take off or land at a congested airport; an authorization given by an air traffic control authority.
A position or job, as in chief copy editor: He had a slot at the Gazette for 20 years.
In the United States, a casino’s assigned time for accepting bets, usually between 5 and 8 pm.
The slit or other narrow opening in the face of a door that allows for a lock to be installed, or that can be opened and closed manually.
In slot machine design, a mechanism that allows players to insert cash or paper tickets with barcodes (in “ticket-in, ticket-out” machines) and activate reels which then stop to rearrange symbols in combinations. Depending on the game, a player may win credits based on the combination of symbols in a winning line. Most slot games have a theme, and the symbols and bonus features align with that theme. With the advent of digital technology, many slot machines have become video games.
In the context of online slot machines, a period of time that a machine is programmed to take in x number of bets and spit out y amount of wins. Slot manufacturers use this data to ensure their machines can meet the needs of their customers, including balancing the pay-outs between different types of bets and the probability of hitting jackpots.