History Of The Slot Machine

History Of The Slot Machine

If you love real money slots, then you might be interested in the history of the slot machine. Slot machines are incredibly popular. Whether you play slots at a land-based casino or via your desktop or smartphone, there are thousands of slots to choose from – also visit 666 Casino.

You can find everything from 3D video slots, to progressive jackpots and even classical favorites. There’s almost a slot machine for everyone. But then, where did slot machines start from?

The Very Beginnings – First Ever Gambling Machine Based On Poker

In 1891, Sittman and Pitt of Brooklyn, New York, created the very first gambling machine. This machine had five drums holding 50 card faces and was designed based on poker. Before long, this machine became a popular attraction across bars in the city. Often players would insert a nickel and pull a lever that spinned the drums and the cards. Usually, the payout depended on what the bar wanted to give. For instance, a royal flush could get you drinks, cigars, or free beer. To make the odds better for the bar, two cards, the jack of hearts, and the ten of spades, would be removed from the deck. The bar may also rearrange the drums to improve the house’s odds. However, this system was quite complex, and it was almost impossible to award an automatic payout for every winning combination.

Liberty Bell – The First Slot Machine

So, between 1887 and 1895, Charles Fey of San Francisco created a simpler system, with three spinning reels having five symbols, hearts, diamonds, horseshoes, and a Liberty Bell. This machine was called a Liberty Bell and is regarded as the true origin of slot machines. So the use of five symbols instead of ten cards and three reels in place of five drums reduced winning chances making it easier for bars to create a payout system. The biggest payoff at the time was ten nickels. The device continued to gain popularity for a few years before it was banned in California. However, the device continued to be popular, and manufacturers began investing in it. Herbert Mills became one of the first to create its line of Liberty Bell in 1907, using the same Charles Fey model.

From then on different versions began to emerge from then on, including a popular variant called Operator’s Bell, which had the option of adding a gum-vending attachment. The symbols for this machine were fruits, including cherries, oranges, melons, apples, and BAR. BAR is the symbol we still find to date and was the logo of the Bell-fruit company. This machine found its way into salons, bowling alleys, shops, and salons.  At the time, most machines were only awarding food prizes.

Emerging Electronic Slot Machines.

By 1963, the first fully electromechanical slot machine, Money Honey by Bally, was created. This slot machine paid out 500 coins and did not require an attendant. This machine also became famous as electronic games began to dominate. This machine also had new symbols like the Clover, Gem, 777, Star, and Crown.

In 1976, the first video slot machine was developed in Kearny Mesa, California, by Las Vegas-based Fortune Coin Co. The machines were then dispatched to the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel, and subsequent modifications were made to defeat cheating. Subsequently, the video slot-machine technology was purchased by International Gaming Technology in 1978.

A Decade Later And Onwards

By 1996, WMS Industries Inc released the “Reel Em,” becoming the first video slot to have a second screen bonus feature with additional payouts. However, the boom of the internet came in the mid-’90s, thereby driving the development of the first online casinos. In the beginning, only classic casino games such as blackjack and roulettes were online, alone with the nieve block list. Soon slots were added. Today, online gambling has exploded, and there are at least 5,000 different online slots available today. The first online jackpot slot was the Cash Splash from Microgaming. Beyond, there are online tournament-style performances, and slots are beginning to have complicated storylines and complex bonus combinations. As technology continues to advance, there is no doubt that online slot machines will equally evolve.

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