Translation guide
A gambling machine with spinning reels. In Japanese, the term is usually borrowed from English, but there are distinctions between casino-style slot machines and pachinko-related machines.
A machine found in casinos where you pull a lever or press a button to spin reels and win money.
The most common and direct translation, used in casinos and general contexts.
I played slot machines in Las Vegas.
Shortened form, very common in casual speech. Can refer to the machine or the game.
I played slots at the casino.
A slot machine found in pachinko parlors in Japan, often with video screens and skill-stop buttons, distinct from casino slots.
Short for 'pachinko slot'. These are common in Japan and have a different gameplay style from Western slot machines.
He goes to play pachislot every weekend.
Full term, less common than パチスロ but still understood.
That parlor has a lot of pachinko slot machines.
Used humorously or metaphorically to describe something that dispenses items unpredictably, like a vending machine.
Not a direct translation, but if the English 'slot machine' is used metaphorically for a vending machine, you can say 自動販売機 and clarify the comparison.
This vending machine is like a slot machine—sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
In Japan, 'slot machine' often brings to mind パチスロ, which is different from Western casino slots. If you mean a casino slot machine, use スロットマシン or スロット. If you're in a pachinko parlor, パチスロ is the correct term.