A slot is a position, or a narrow opening, for something, such as a hole in a door. It is also an allocated time and place for an aircraft to take off or land, as authorized by an air-traffic control authority. In computer hardware, a slot is a location where an expansion card can be inserted. The word is also used as a verb, meaning to put something in its slot: “She slipped the disk into the CD-ROM drive.”

Invented by Charles Fey in 1895, a slot machine has vertical reels that spin to display symbols. The goal is to line up matching symbols along pay lines to win credits based on the paytable. The symbols are chosen by the game designer, and they may vary from a classic deck of cards to themed images fitting the game’s theme.

Once the artwork and wireframes for your slot are complete, it’s time to build a prototype, or minimum viable product (MVP). This is a lightweight, working version of the game that allows you and your team to test the mechanics and features before investing in the full game development process. Once your MVP is ready, you can start marketing the slot to potential players and customers.