A slot (plural slots) is an opening in a machine into which coins or cards are inserted and from which they are removed. In the case of computer games, a slot can also refer to the area on the motherboard into which an expansion card is inserted.

a narrow opening, notch, or groove, as in a keyway, or the slit for a coin in a vending machine: He put the coin in the slot. a time or place in which something can be done: She has a 2 pm slot for interviewing candidates.

In a slot game, a jackpot is a large amount of money awarded to a player for hitting a certain combination of symbols. Jackpots may be fixed or random, and they are sometimes associated with a certain theme. For example, a slot game with a Wild West theme might have a jackpot of 100,000 for hitting three aligned wilds on the payline.

Slots can be very captivating, and it is easy to spend more than you intend to. To avoid this, it is best to set a budget before you play. This way, you can be sure that your gaming experience will remain enjoyable without putting your finances at risk.

The word slot is derived from the Dutch word sloet, which means a narrow groove or notch. Other words with the same root include slat, slit, and sleuth. See more examples in the list of synonyms.