A slot is a narrow opening into which something else can be fitted. A common use is a keyway in a machine or a hole for a coin in a vending machine. It can also refer to a position in a sequence or schedule: a time slot for a meeting; an open space on a page; the spot on the copy desk occupied by the chief sub-editor of a newspaper. A slot may be a physical location (such as a doorway or window) or a virtual position in an electronic device such as a computer game or website. The term is also used in aviation to refer to the specific place and time a plane is scheduled to take off or land at an airport.

In slots, players insert cash or, in “ticket-in, ticket-out” machines, a paper ticket with a barcode into the designated slot, which then activates the reels to rearrange symbols and possibly earn credits according to the pay table. Most modern slots have a theme and offer bonus features that can be triggered by landing certain combinations of scatter or bonus symbols. These feature-driven games often offer lucrative payouts and can lead to mini bonus games with a different set of reels and pay lines.

A player spins the reels of a slot machine by pulling on a lever or pressing a button, or, in electronic slot machines, by clicking a button on a touchscreen. A win occurs when one or more symbols line up along the pay line, a vertical line in the center of the machine’s display window. A conventional machine contains three or more “reels,” each with various symbols. Digital technology allows slots to contain many more symbols, and some have as many as 250 virtual symbols per reel, offering millions of possible combinations.

On passing plays, a slot receiver runs routes that correspond with the other receivers in an attempt to confuse the defense. Unlike wide receivers, who can cover multiple positions, a slot receiver must be precise in his or her routes to avoid getting tangled up with the defense. Slot receivers are especially vulnerable to big hits from defensive backs because they are closer to the line of scrimmage.

A slot in a database is a position that can be filled with data using a table or other data structure. When an application uses a database, the database administrator assigns a slot to each record, and the program can access this information at the appropriate location in the record. This type of database structure is also known as an object-oriented database.