1. A slot is a hole, vent, slit, or aperture that can be used to allow passage of objects. 2. A position or place that a person is scheduled to fill.
3. An opening in something that allows passage of something, such as a letter or postcard through it.
A slot machine is a gambling device in which players drop coins or paper tickets with barcodes into a slot and pull a handle or button to activate one to three or more rotating reels marked into horizontal segments by varying symbols. Traditional symbols include stars, card suits (hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades), fruit (cherries, plums, oranges, lemons, and watermelons), numbers (7 is a favourite), bars, and the word jackpot. Some machines have a separate spin button for each reel. In the earliest versions of the game, when the reels stopped spinning, each symbol would push a metal lever into a hopper that paid out two to all the coins in the machine. The first manufacturers to incorporate such payout schemes into their machines were the Industry Novelty Company in 1909 and the Mills Novelty Co. the following year. Both companies tried to circumvent prohibitions on slot machines by calling them chewing gum dispensers, and both replaced the suit marks with symbols that suggested different flavours of chewing gum. By doing so, they created a new category of machine called a fruit slot. The machines became popular and widespread throughout the world.