What is a Slot?

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(also spelled slot or slots)

A slit, hole, or other narrow opening, as in a door, window, or body part. Also: A position or assignment in a group, sequence, or series. A time period of broadcasting or recording, as in a television show, radio broadcast, or movie: The film occupied the evening time slot.

In computing, a location on a disk or other storage medium in which a file can be saved. A slot is usually assigned by an operating system or file-management program. A slot can be shared by multiple files or other programs. (computing) A place in a database, spreadsheet, or other data structure where information is stored.

In video gaming, a slot is a position that allows a gamer to play a particular game within a certain time frame or on a specified date. Most modern slot machines use microprocessors to determine the probability that a given symbol will appear on the reels. Often the only visible thing that the player sees is the spinning of the reels, but even then the symbols are already picked; what appears to be a random selection by the machine is really just a display courtesy for the players. In some games, such as the aforementioned, it is necessary for the gamer to set limits for themselves about how long they want to spend playing, how many bets they will make, and how much money they will spend during a particular slot session.