In the casino business, slot is a term for the space where coins or tokens are dropped in order to activate the machine and initiate a game. Whether you’re playing the classic, mechanical slot machines found in casinos around the world or the more modern electrical versions that run on advanced computer systems, the fundamental principles remain the same.
When a player pulls the handle on a slot machine, it spins a series of reels that display pictures. When the pictures line up with a pay line (typically a row of symbols in the center of a window), the player wins credits based on a predetermined paytable. Symbols vary according to the theme of the machine, but classics include fruit, bells, and stylized lucky sevens.
The sixties were a turbulent time for many industries, including gambling. The advent of electronic slot machines, which operate much like conventional mechanical ones but are programmed to read bar codes and other information from the chips that make up the machine’s memory, was a big change for the industry.
The computerized machines still rely on a physical reel and mechanical stoppers, but they have flashier lights and sound systems and can process transactions more quickly than their predecessors. The new machines are also less noisy and require fewer employees to maintain. For these reasons, slot machines now dominate the casino industry and generate more than 60 percent of its annual profits in the United States alone.