Skill With Prizes (SWP) machines are a subset of slot machines, in which the payout a player receives is dependent on a game of skill rather than just luck.
One common type of SWP game is the Quiz machine - where a player has to answer a number of trivia questions to win money.
There are other types, where a video game of some sort is played. Titles in this category include The Crystal Maze and Word Up.
A quiz machine is a type of slot machine in which the player must answer questions in addition to, or instead of, matching symbols. See also itbox. They are common in UK pubs, where they are often based on board games or game shows. In the UK these are "technically" termed "Skill with prizes" (SWP) as opposed to normal slot machines which are termed "Amusement with prizes" (AWP).
In the UK the history of the quiz machine can be divided into three phases. In the first phase (1980s to 1995) the machines were dedicated to a single game, often based on a TV show, with the maximum prize being £5 for a 50p stake.
Between 1995 and 1999 the number of formats expanded greatly and most public houses hosted a unit.
A progressive jackpot is a jackpot (highest payoff) for a gaming machine (usually a slot machine or video poker machine) where the value of the jackpot increases a small amount for every game played. Normally multiple machines are "linked" together to form one large progressive jackpot that grows more quickly because multiple players are contributing to the jackpot at the same time.
The amount of the jackpot is shown on a meter as a money value. Usually the jackpot can only be won by winning the combination with the highest payoff, e.g. a royal flush at a video poker game, or five of the most valuable symbols (lemons, cherries, alligators, etc) on a slot machine. Once a player wins the jackpot, the jackpot resets to a preset minimum level.
Pachinko (パチンコ) is a device used for amusment and prizes and is related to pinball machines. Although originally strictly mechanical, modern pachinko machines are a cross between a pinball machine and a video slot machine. Pachinko is said to have been invented sometime after World War II in Nagoya, though the date is sometimes questioned. The machines are widespread in Japan in establishments called "pachinko parlors", which also often feature a small number of slot machines.
The machines are regulated with IC chips, and has six different levels changing the odds of a "777". The levels provide a rough outcome of between 90% to an astonishing 160% (200% if using skills). Indeed, the Japanese slot machines are "beatable".
Despite the many varieties of the machines, there are certain rules and regulations put forward by a commission. For example, there must be three reels. Also, all reels must be accompanied by buttons which stop these reels, etc.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.
Slot machines
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbqkq7JiNtA 
Row of old fruit machines in Teignmouth Pier, Devon
Queen of the Nile (manufactured by Aristocrat), one of the most popular Australian poker machine games, also very popular in some American casinos
In the United States, the public and private availability of slot machines is highly regulated by state governments. Many states have established gaming control boards to regulate the possession and use of slot machines. Nevada is the only state that has no significant restrictions against slot machines both for public and private use. In New Jersey, slot machines are only allowed in hotel-casinos operated in Atlantic City. Several states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri) allow slot machines (as well as any casino-style gambling) only on licensed riverboats or permanently anchored barges. For a list of state by state regulations on private slot machine ownership, see U.S. state slot machine ownership regulations.
A row of "Wheel of Fortune" slot machines in a casino in Las Vegas. This specific slot machine is loosely based on the TV game show Wheel of Fortune
Slot machines in the Trump Taj Mahal
The subject of gambling is all encompassing. It combines man's natural play instinct with his desire to know about his fate and his future. (Franz Rosenthal)
