A slot is a narrow opening, especially one for receiving something, such as a coin or a letter. It can also mean a position in a group, sequence, or series, or an assignment or job opening. (From the American Heritage(r) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.)
The top of a slot machine has a light, sometimes called the candle or tower light that turns on when you press the service button. This shows casino employees that you want to play the game and that it’s ready to be played.
When you play a slot machine, each spin is independent of the results of the previous ones. The random number generator inside each machine works continuously, running through dozens of combinations every second. When it’s time to spin, the computer sets a combination and the reels stop on that symbol. That’s how you win a jackpot or lose a lot of money.
Many people believe that a machine that has gone long without hitting is “due.” This is not true. While it’s true that some machines are more likely to pay out than others, casinos can’t adjust the payout percentages on individual machines to make them “due.” They have to open them up and manually change the numbers. This would take about 45 minutes for a single slot machine and is impractical. You’re better off avoiding getting greedy and betting more than you can afford to lose. Then you won’t be disappointed when someone else walks away with a padded wallet.