Over the years, slot machines have become more and more popular, allowing players to enjoy hours of fun while also having the chance to win cash prizes. From the historic ‘One-Armed Bandit’ to the video slots that occupy a large part of many online casinos today, these games have witnessed a surge in popularity around the world.
This article will discuss the history of these machines and their progression from land-based games to internet gaming sensations.
When was the slot machine invented?
The first slot machine as we know it today dates back to around 1891. Known as the ‘One-Armed Bandit’, this slot machine was invented in New York by Sittman and Pitt. With five reels acting as reels and a lever on the side to activate them, you had 50 card symbols to land on. As is the case with modern fruit slots, they were commonly used in bars across the country.
The first automatic slot machine
Not long after the invention of the ‘One-Armed Bandit’, the first automatic slot was invented by a man named Charles Fey in California, in 1895. With only three reels, this slot was considered to work on a much simpler mechanism and only have five reel symbols.
Called Liberty Bell, this early automated slot could be seen as an influence for some modern video slots that still use three reels and a minimal number of symbols.
Royal Symbols
Fruit symbols have long been associated with slots and this perhaps stems from 1907 and the invention of the Herbert Mills slot machine. Called the Bell Operator, Herbert Mills created it to rival that of Charles Fey.
Despite slot machine evolution and reel symbols being understood as just about anything, many video slots still opt to use classic fruit symbols. One of the most popular video slots around, the likes of Double Bubble builds on classic features and symbols while providing players with a modern spin experience.
Slot machines as we know them
In 1963, Bally Manufacturing succeeded in producing a side-mounted leverless slot. As the first electromechanical slot machine, it could automatically award coins without the help of an assistant. Called Money Honey, this slot machine paved the way for electronic gaming of the future.
The introduction of video slots
Although Bally Manufacturing managed to bring electronic functionality to the slots scene some 13 years earlier, the first real video slots were invented in the mid-1970s in California. Fortune Coin Co developed video slot technology in 1976, mounted a screen in a slot machine cabinet, and obtained approval from the Nevada State Gaming Commission.
Video slots today
The video slots we know of today and their place in gaming date back to the 1990s and the launch of the first online casinos. In 1994, the first online casino with a variety of video slots to play was launched.
There are currently hundreds of online casinos where you can play thousands of video slots. They are provided by various software vendors and seem to span all sorts of categories and genres.
The chances of winning large sums of cash are always present, even more so with the introduction of progressive slots. With these games, some are linked to wider networks, allowing prize pools to grow at a rapid pace, regularly reaching millions.
