Bonus is a special feature of the particular game theme, which is activated when certain symbols appear in a winning combination. In the bonus, the player is presented with several items on a screen from which to choose. After choosing items a number of credits is revealed and awarded. A mechanical device, such as a spinning wheel is used by some bonuses. The amount won is displayed with the help of it in conjunction with the bonus.
There is a light on top of the slot machine called Candle. It alerts the operator that change is needed, hand pay is requested or there is a potential problem with the machine.
A grouping of slot machines, usually in a circle or oval formation are called Carousel.
Coin hopper contains the coins that are immediately available for payouts. When a player collects credits this mechanical device rotates coins into the coin tray. A coin diverter is used to redirect excess coins into a drop bucket, or drop box when a certain preset coin capacity is reached.
Credit meter is a visual display of the amount of money or credits on the machine.
A a container located in a slot machine's base where excess coins are diverted from the hopper is Drop bucket or Drop box. Typically, a drop bucket is used for low denomination slot machines. A drop box can be found in high denomination slot machines. A drop box contains a hinged lid with one or more locks whereas a drop bucket doesn't contain a lid. The contents of drop buckets and drop boxes are collected and counted by the casino on a scheduled basis.
EGM is used as a short-hand for Electronic Gaming Machine.
The term Hand pay means a payout made by a slot attendant or cage, rather than the slot machine. When the amount of the payout exceeds the maximum amount that was preset by the slot machine's operator a hand pay occurs. At the level where the operator must begin to deduct taxes the maximum amount is set. A hand pay could also be necessary as a result of a short pay.
A document used to record the replenishments of the coin in the coin hopper after it becomes depleted as a result of making payouts to players is Hopper fill. The slip exists to indicate the amount of coins placed into the hoppers, the signatures of the employees involved in the transaction, the slot machine number and the location and the date.
A stool is included into Low Level or Slant Top slot machines, so you can sit and play. Playing Stand Up or Upright slot machines you won't be able to sit.
The term Optimal play means a payback percentage based on a gambler using the optimal strategy in a skill-based slot machine game.
The term Payline means a straight or zigzagged line that crosses through one symbol on each reel, along which a winning combination is evaluated. Classic spinning reel machines usually have up to nine pay lines, while video slot machines may have as many as one hundred.
While the meters count up to the amount that has been won the process of dramatizing a win by playing sounds happens which is called Rollup.
If a partial payout made by a slot machine is less than the amount due to the player it is called Short pay. This occurs if the coin hopper has been depleted as a result of making earlier payouts to players. An attendant will come and re-fill the machine or the remaining amount will be paid as a hand pay.
The manufacturer for all slot machines provide them with a document called Theoretical Hold Worksheet. It indicates the theoretical percentage that the slot machine should hold based on adequate levels of coin-in. The worksheet also indicates the reel strip settings, number of coins that may be played, the payout schedule, the number of reels and other information.
Weight count is an American term, referring to the dollar amount of coins or tokens removed from a slot machine's drop bucket or drop box and counted by the casino's hard count team through the use of a weigh scale.

There are a lot of myths and superstitions about slots.
You can spot a winning slot machine.
The only way one can say that theslot machine is a winning one is only to catch this moment, when the machine pays out. RNG is the main element of every slot machine and one never knows what combination it will form.
Casinos place loose slots near the cashier, aisle ways, etc.
In reality it is not to casino’s advantage to place loose slots at one and the same place, because in this case gamblers would play only these slots. The slots are mixed and nobody can say for sure whether this slot is a loose one or not.
Count the number of symbols on the reels to determine your odds.
This is mathematically impossible, remember the RNG (random number generator) determines the stops. Thereare literally millions of combinations on a 3 reel slot machine, so there is no way of determining odds by the symbols on the reels alone.
Casinos can tighten or loosen slot machines from the back office.
It is not as simple as that. The casino can’t just change the chip of the slot machine. It is illegal and it has to be permitted by the commission.
A slot machine that has not been paying is due to hit.
It is not so. With every game the chances of winning are the same.
Pulling the slot machine handle produces more wins than pressing the spin button and visa versa.
Again false. It makes no difference, as the computer only uses these as mechanisms to start the game. Only the computer determines a win or a loss and it has already determined if you are a winner or loser even before the first reel stops spinning.
Playing with hot coins improves your chances.
Once again, the computer determines a win or loss and the temperature of the machine or moneyirrelevant. Although it's funny that people still burn their fingers with lighters believing this works.
Casinos set slot machines to payback more on the weekends.
One more rude mistake. The chances and odds are always the same. It doesn’t matter when you play.

Slot machines have a vivid and diverse history. Throughout the years, designs and implementation of slot machines went from mechanical to electronic, and from electronic to digital, then from digital to purely software, but the principles are still the same: the slot machine has reels which spin and, if the pre-defined winning combination plays out, you win. The player inserts coins in the machine and then wins or loses according to the outcome of the game.
Basically, slot machines are all the same. They only differ in some peculiarities: odds, payouts, payout percentage and symbols. There are so many variatisn of slot machines that everybody can find something to his liking.
The main difference is the number of lines. Slot machines can be either single line or multilane. In single line slots, the machine has just one line of reels, usually with 4 or 5 wheels, while in multiline there are a number of reel lines. Multi line slots are more difficult to understand because you win according to the winning combinations on the paylines, which can be formed in many ways. Sometimes you don't win anything at all, and sometimes multiple combinations award you with relatively big winning money. There are machines with paylines; that is, vertical lines along which a winning combination must occur, but some don’t have them, as the winning combination may come in diagonals, zigzags, strange curves and in other ways and fashions.
Another interesting variation of the slot machine is a jackpot. If the slot machine has a jackpot it means that a certain amount of each additional bet is added to the jackpot. As the players wager, the jackpot grows and grows, sometimes crossing hundreds of thousands of dollars. There is only one winning combination that can bring the gambler the jackpot.
Since slot machines appeared they have been played with coins. Online casino slot machines are no exception to that rule, even though bets might differ slightly. Like regular slots they have betting limits, which can be even lower than in real casinos. Slots are the easiest casino games. They don’t require any decision on the player’s part.
Online slot machines also have RNG, which exclude any possibility to cheat. This methodic allows very fair and precise balancing without actually hurting neither the players' interests nor the casino revenue.

The US
In the United States the availability of slot machines is regulated by governments. Many states have established gaming control boards to regulate the possession and use of slot machines. There are no significant restrictions against slot machines in Nevada. Slot machines are allowed only in hotel casinos operated in Atlantic City in New Jersey. Several states allow slot machines only on licensed riverboats or permanently-anchored barges. Only three horse tracks are allowed to have slot machines in Delaware. There is State lottery commission to regulate them.

Casinos: Native American
Slot machines are forbidden in Native American casinos located in reservations. It becomes possible when the tribe first reaches a pact with the state in which it is located. The state is entitled to receive a fraction of the gross revenue from slot machines by the pact.

Classes Of Slot Machines
There is no federal law governing slot machines. Their classifications may vary from state to state. There are states where the usage of slot machines in a casino or other gaming area is restricted. A centralized computer system operates "Class III" (or "traditional") slot machines. The possibility that a player wing any payout is the same with every play. There are a lot of Class III slots in Nevada or Atlantic City. "Vegas-style slots" is another name for them.
There are "Class II" slot machines ("video lottery terminals" or "VLTs") which are connected to a centralized computer system. The determination of the outcome of each wager is fulfilled by it. Each machine has an equal chance of winning a series of limited prizes. The casino pays a fee to the state for each Class III game. The regulations for Class II games are not so tight.

Class II Game Characteristics
The player is playing against other players. They are competing for a common prize. Each game has a winner. The game stops when the winner appears. A given set has a certain number of wins and losses. The combimation that has already occurred cannot occur again until a new batch is initiated. One game is dependent on previous games. The player must be an active participant. The announced numbers belong to the same set of numbers for all players.

Class III Game Characteristics
The house plays against the player. Each game is independent of previous games. The outcome of any game is unpredictable.

Clubs Of Slot Players
Many American casinos offer free memberships in "slot clubs". A small fraction of the amount of money that is bet is returned in the form of comps. The requirement of such clubs is the usage of cards for the slot machines. Comps or "cash back" from these clubs makes significant differences in the maximum theoretical returns.

Slots In Australia
Queen of the Nile (manufactured by Aristocrat) is one of the most popular Australian poker machine games. Gaming Machines is an official name for Australian slot machines. Australian-style gaming machines have video displays for stimulating physical reels. There are usually five of them. The use of gaming machines in Australia is regulated by the laws.
Gaming machines are found in casinos as well as pubs and clubs in some states. The first Australian state to legalize this style of gambling was New South Wales. Their legalization in all registered clubs in the state was in 1956.
Only particular forms of gaming machine are permitted to be used in Western Australia.

The UK
Fruit machines, one-armed bandits and AWP are the names for slot machines in Britain. Fruit machines can be met in pubs, clubs, arcades, and some take-away food shops. There can be 3, 4 or 6 reels with around 16 or 24 fruit symbols printed around them. These reels are spun. The machine pays winnings if certain combinations of fruit appear. There is similarity between these machines and slot machines seen in casinos and elsewhere around the world. These games have lots of extra features. However, the jackpots from these fruit machines are strictly limited. The UK fruit machines have some features. A player can hold one or more reels before spinning. It sometimes increases the chance of winning. A player may also be given a finite number nudges following a spin. The term nudge is used to denote a single-step rotation of a reel of the player's choice.
The maximum payout for an individual game is influenced by the type and the location of the machine. Private members' clubs have "club machines". They have higher jackpots and are allowed to charge more per game.
These machines and American slot machines operate differently. The probability of getting the jackpot in each game is independent of any other game.
The AWP fruit machine is played in Europe and in countries such as the Czech Republic, Russia, and Ukraine.

Japan
The term pachisuro is used to denote Japanese slot machines. They are a descendant of the traditional Japanese pachinko game. Slot machines are new phenomenon. They can be found in mostly in pachinko parlors and the adult sections of amusement arcades, known as game centers.
IC chips regulate the machines. They have six different levels changing the odds of a "777". There are certain rules and regulations in spite of the many varieties of the machines.

There is a man who managed to cheat slots.
Slot machines pay on a random basis, but what if you could improve the payout a little? Would you do it? Tommy Glenn Carmichael would and did.
Carmichael, now 53, had a long history of inventing devices to cheat slot machines. His first device was a kind of a top-button joint. By the way, for this device he was sent to prison. Then he was released, but continued to work at inventing devices for cheating a slot. For example, he invented a tool called a slider made from guitar wire that he used to insert into the machine and trip a switch, which released coins from the hopper.
Later, as slot machines became computer based, he had to invent a new tool. In some way he managed to fool the manufacture who showed him the inner construction of a slot machine. It was enough to learn everything that he wanted. His new inventions was a light want that blinded the sensor of the slot machine and as a result got winnings. He sold these wands and could earn up to ,000 a day. He drove expensive cars, took cruises, and bought two houses.
But as known good things can’t last forever. For Carmichael, they ended in front of a slot machine at Circus, where he was caught with the light wand when he tried to run from security. While charges from that incident were later dropped, he was caught under similar circumstances in Laughlin and later Atlantic City. By that time the police already have all necessary clues to prove that Tommy was guilty. He got three years’ probation and lost everything that he had bought before. He has been banned from entering any casino.