A slot is a position or period of time in a series or sequence. A slot is also a place in a machine where a coin or paper ticket may be inserted. Similarly, a slot is an allocated time and place for an aircraft to take off or land at an airport, as authorized by an air-traffic authority. These are particularly useful at congested airports where airlines must wait for the right to land, or at times when airspace is constrained due to weather conditions (e.g. Heathrow).

The payouts on slot machines are determined by a pay table. This is often located on the machine, either above or below the area containing the wheels. Some slot machines have a separate pay table for each type of symbol, while others use a single pay table that identifies all symbols. Regardless of the type of slot, it is important to understand how these pay tables work in order to choose the best slot game for you.

A jackpot is a large prize or sum of money, especially one in a casino or lottery game. The term is also used to describe a lucky development or substantial success. It entered the English lexicon via a 19th-century poker sense of “ante that starts when no player has a pair of jacks or better,” and later gained broad gambling figurative meanings, including an exciting opportunity or occasion. In more recent usage, the word jackpot has come to refer to the sum of a person’s winnings in a casino or lottery game.