action Term used in evaluation of a casino customer's slot play that represents all coins or credits played, including winnings that subsequently are played and lost.
AWP machine Term used for machines with limited payout and low bets, typicaly used for street market in some jurisdictions.
cabinet The exterior box housing all machine components like monitor, reel mechanism, hopper, bill acceptor, coin acceptor, ticket printer, etc.
candle Light that mounts on top of the machine and indicates various machine modes and game conditions.
coin-free play Slot play using one of several new technologies to substitute printed tickets or multicredit tokens for coins in jackpots.
coin-in Coins wagered. The coin-in assembly receives, verifies, counts and appropriately routes coins deposited in the machine. The coin-in meters (mechanical and software) accumulate total coin-out numbers.
coin comparitor Electronic coin acceptor mechanism that receives and validates coins deposited in the machine. A coin comparitor uses a sample coin against which incoming coins are compared for validity.
credit limit The maximum number of credits the machine will accumulate before causing either a hopper-pay, hand-pay or cash-out ticket situation.
credit play Allows all awards except the top award and hand pays to accumulate on the credits display rather than dispensing from the hopper. Some game versions allow player-selected credit or noncredit pay.
denomination Coin or bill value. Euro coin denominations are: 1euro cent, 2 euro cent, 5 euro cent, 10 euro cent, 20 euro cent, 50 euro cent, 1 Euro and 2 Euro.
drop In casino revenue accounting, cash and cash equivalents exchanged for chips and (if played) risked against the casino; player`s bankroll. Handle at table games is not accounted, in default of handle statistics, revenue accounting for these games starts with drop.
hand pay Money award paid by an attendant rather than being dispensed by the machine.
handle The gross amount wagered at any form of gambling. Gross wagering, betting, gross betting or gross amount bet, money staked, turnover and lottery sales are in various systems of accounting synonyms for handle. Distinction between drop and handle: Handle is the total amount wagered, or bet: a chip may be wagered many times before the game goes to a decision and the chip is won or lost.
hit frequency The frequency with which a slot or video poker machine registers a winning combination, relative to the number of games played.
hold percentages Hold percentages for table games are ratios of win to drop. Table games typically win (hold) 12% to 20% of drop, depending on the kind of game, odds and conditions of play.
hopper Assembly inside the machine that receives, holds and dispenses coins. When the hopper is full, coins are diverted to the drop box.
max coin/max bet Maximum number of coins or credits the game will accept for a single play.
max win/max pay Highest award on the game play.
meters Counters. Meters can either be mechanical or software counters to collect game play data. Hardware meters collect lifetime totals and cannot be reset. Software meters are displayed in the statistical data mode, and can be reset to zero.
mode Operational state of the machine. The following modes can be differentiated: game play, idle, statistical data, self test and tilt.
multicoin slot game A slot allowing wagers of two or more coins for each payline in a multiline game.
multiplier A slot machine with a pay schedule in which the jackpot for each winning combination is multiplied evenly by each coin wagered (e.g., first coin 10; second coin, 20).
multiplier pay Each win amount is a linear multiple of the number of coins or credits bet.
multisite progressive (also widearea progressive) A slot that is linked electronically to a network of units of the same game at different casinos, with coins wagered on all connected machines incrementing a single jackpot.
noncredit mode The machine will accept no more than the max bet allowed per game, and all wins are paid out in coins or by an attendant at the time of win. If a bill acceptor is present, it functions as a changer only.
parsheet List of parameters of the slot game, describing all the winning combinations, theit probabilities, awards for these combinations and a payback percentage of the game.
payback percentage The portion of each dollar wagered on a given machine or group of machines that is retuned to the players in jackpots over the long term. Payback percentages listed for individual slots represent the amount returned to players over hundreds of thousands of games, as determined by computer simulation of manufacturers and regulatory agencies.
payline The line of reel positions on which symbols must land to form winning combinations.
pay table Chart of pay amounts as a function of each winning combination and number of coins or credits bet.
player digital display In reel slot machines, game information is presented as an LED digital display through windows on the slot glass.
player tracking system (PTS) A data collection package that enables the owner/operator of the machine to identify and gather information about players vie ID cards and readers.
processor board Controls all video and/or game functions in a machine.
progressive A system of pooling a fraction of each wager into a cumulative fund which is available for a top-pay win.
progressive jackpotA jackpot which increments electronically with a preset percentage of each coin wagered.
random access memory (RAM) Backup memory of game information is stored in the CMOS RAM chip on the processor board. CMOS memory (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) is a battery powered memory, used to store backup RAM data.
random number generator A software program used in slot machines that sequences through a series of numbers (each number corresponding to a single game outcome) at high speed and selects one at random when the player initiates a game by pressing a wager button or pulling the slot handle.
scatter pay A winning combination in which the individual jackpot symbols are not required to line up for the bonus round.
second-screen bonus A bonus game in which the reels disappear and a new scene is presented to the player for the bonus round.
self test mode The software mode that allows processor board input and output tests and enables option selections.
slot game A type of machine that utilizes spinning slot reels or a video simulation of reels. A win occurs when reel symbols line up in a specified manner.
slot handle Optional handle located on the right side of a slot machine. Pulling the handle after a wager causes reels to spin.
slot reel The part of a slot machine that holds one reel strip and spins. Machines generally have three or more independent slot reels.
stand The wood or metal base, housing the drop box, to which a standard upright machine is attached.
takeout percentage Casinos generally report handle for slot operations and in slot revenue accounting the percentage of win to handle is known as takeout percentage.
theoretical payback The percentage result of a formula programmed into a slot machine's computer which, by the laws of mathematical probability represents the average amount of all wagers returned to players via jackpots.
tilt Error in machine operation that suspends game play. Tilts can be caused by hardware or software problems and must be corrected before game play can continue.
tokenization The use of multicredit tokens in place of coins in slot machines.
top box An enclosed area at the top of the machine that typically contains a light box and display glass, a candle and/or various optional assemblies.
