A fruit machine is the traditional British name for a slot machine, named after the cherries, lemons, plums and other fruit symbols on its reels. In Scotland it is often called a puggy.
British fruit machines developed their own style. Alongside spinning reels they offer nudges, holds and a feature board of trails and bonuses, which give the player choices during play. Those choices feel like skill, but the machine's payout over time is still set by its design.
Pub fruit machines are Category C machines under the Gambling Act 2005. Machines in arcades, betting shops and casinos fall into other categories, each with maximum stakes and prizes set in regulations. Modern fruit machines use an RNG, and many online slots borrow the fruit machine look as classic slots.
See our fruit machines page for machine categories and limits, and our nudges and holds feature page.