A slot is a specific time period in which an aircraft can take off or land at a congested airport. Slots are assigned by Air Traffic Management (ATM) and are used to manage the flow of aircraft through airports. Several slots may be used to allow more flights to operate in an airport at the same time and can reduce delays, fuel burn, and noise pollution.
A narrow notch, groove, or opening, as in a keyway in machinery, a slit for a coin in a vending machine, etc.
In video games, a position in a row of reels or symbols that triggers a bonus game or other feature. A slot can also be a virtual container in which coins or tokens are stored; or it could refer to a particular position on a screen.
In a slot machine, players place cash or, in ticket-in, ticket-out machines, paper tickets with barcodes, into a designated slot to activate the machine. The machine then arranges the symbols to produce a winning combination, which pays out credits based on a paytable. Symbols vary by machine, but classics include fruit, bells, and stylized lucky sevens. Most slots have a theme, and symbols and payouts are aligned with the theme. Players can select the number of lines they want to bet on, and many machines also offer a free spins feature when three or more matching symbols appear. Paylines and coin values vary by machine, but some online slots have a single payline that rewards the player with a higher payout for landing multiple symbols on it.