A designated time and place for an aircraft to take off or land, authorized by an airport or air-traffic controller. Also known as a “slot.” See also: slat1 (def. 1).

In gambling, a slot machine is a casino game that has reels with symbols and a paytable. Players insert cash or, in “ticket-in, ticket-out” machines, a paper ticket with a barcode, into the machine to activate the spinning reels. When a winning combination is formed, the machine pays out credits based on the number of coins or tokens inserted into the slot and the payout schedule.

Most slot games have a theme, with classic symbols such as fruits, bells and stylized lucky sevens. Some have extra features such as wild multipliers that increase your chances of winning without paying more money, or progressive multipliers that increase with each spin.

Some slots keep a percentage of each wager and add it to a jackpot that can be won at random by a lucky player. This jackpot is typically much higher than the total amount wagered by all players in a given session. Slot machines are usually found in casinos, but they can be played online as well. They can be a lot of fun for people who enjoy playing games with a chance of winning big money. There are even slot tournaments where players compete against one another to win big prizes. Some of these tournaments are free to enter and others require a fee.