What is a Slot?
A slot is a narrow opening for receiving something, such as a coin or letter. The word is also used to describe a position or job, such as the role of chief copy editor: “He had the slot at the Gazette for 20 years.”
A machine that accepts cash or paper tickets with barcodes and has reels that spin once a player inserts money or activates a lever or button (physical or on a touchscreen). The symbols on the reels may align in a winning combination to award credits according to a pay table. Most slot machines have a theme and paylines, with some offering bonus games or progressive jackpots.
Casinos arrange the slots to maximize revenue by placing hot ones near the end of aisles where players tend to congregate. But it is a mistake to assume that a machine that has gone a long time without hitting is due to hit soon. The truth is that the longer a machine sits empty, the lower its payout percentage will be.
Before microprocessors made their way into slot machines, they were controlled by a central computer called the control unit. The control unit monitored all aspects of the machine, including the state of the reels and the amount of coins in the machine’s hopper. It issued the payouts, which were calculated by reading magnetic signals from the reel sensors. In some models, the control unit also monitored the temperature of the machine’s motor and other components. The control unit acted as a safeguard to prevent the machine from overheating or overworking the central computer.