A slot is an opening, hole, groove, or slit, especially one that accepts a coin or other object for payment. The slots on a slot machine are where coins or paper tickets with barcodes are inserted, and where the reels spin to arrange symbols on them in combinations that earn credits according to a paytable. Depending on the type of slot, symbols vary from classic fruits and bells to stylized lucky sevens. Most slot machines have a theme, and the payouts and bonus features are usually aligned with that theme.
In football, a wide receiver who lines up in the area just inside the line of scrimmage and slightly behind the other outside wide receivers is called a “slot receiver.” Slot receivers need to be very fast, as they must be able to run complex routes and escape tacklers. They also need to be very agile, as they often have to make a number of evasive cuts.
In computing, a slot (also known as an expansion slot) is a place to fit an expansion card that adds new capabilities to the computer. Most desktop computers come with a set of expansion slots for adding peripheral devices, such as hard disk drives and printers. A slot can be accessed and used by any program that uses the Windows I/O subsystem. In some types of virtual memory systems, a slot is an operation issue and data path machinery that surrounds a group of execution units, and it can be accessed by any program in the system.