A narrow opening in a machine, container, or other object, as a keyway in a piece of machinery or a slot for a coin in a vending machine. Also, a position in a group, series, or sequence.
The casino’s biggest source of profits comes from slot machines. It’s therefore important to keep these customers happy, and one way is to offer low house edges.
To slot something is to place it readily into a space, especially in a way that fits snugly or tightly. I slotted the coin into the slot in the arcade machine. I slotted the CD into the player. The car seat belt slotted easily into place.
In aviation, a slot is an open time in a schedule that a pilot can use to fly to a destination. An airline may have several slots available for its flights, but only a limited number can be used at any given time. This limits the number of airplanes that can be in the air at once.
In a slot machine, the symbols are arranged in columns on the screen (called reels). When a spin button is pressed, the reels stop and the symbols line up in a row. If these symbols match a winning combination on the pay table, the player wins credits based on the amount of money they have already bet. The symbols vary depending on the theme of the slot machine, but classics include fruit, bells, and stylized lucky sevens.