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.
ラスベガスでスロットマシンをしました。
I played slot machines in Las Vegas.
Shortened form, very common in casual speech. Can refer to the machine or the game.
カジノでスロットをやった。
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.
彼は毎週末パチスロを打ちに行く。
He goes to play pachislot every weekend.
Full term, less common than パチスロ but still understood.
あの店にはパチンコスロットがたくさんある。
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.
この自動販売機はまるでスロットマシンみたいに当たり外れがある。
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.