The term "cold slot" refers to a slot that has gone a long (or extended amount of) time without paying out any winnings. It symbolizes a belief in the gaming industry that slots will periodically pay out winnings in waves and that a slot that has not had any payouts for an extended period of time is deemed to be cold and thus, more likely to pay out fewer winnings. However, this is a myth as the result of each of a slot's spins is determined by a random number generator. These results are not influenced by previous results. It is important to note that gaming always involves risk and there are no guarantees of winning.