Trace of the Slot Machine Game

Slot machines or one-armed bandits are very simple and funny. It is hard to pass by all slots without trying your fortune by inserting a couple of coins. However, it is difficult to find among the gamblers those, who know the history of all slots, which is interesting and exciting as well as the game itself. All slots machines are relatively young, they exist for about 120 years.

The First Slot Machines

The first slot machine was invented by Charles Fey in his workshop in 1887 in San Francisco and named Liberty Bell. The machine looked like modern slots but was a little smaller. It was 3-reeled with 20 symbols, like stars, horseshoes, bells and the pictures found on the cards – clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades.

In 1907 Charles Fey joined the company of Mills Novelty and introduced a new version – the Mills Liberty Bell. It had card symbols, like Jack, Queen and King. In 1910 the company launched Operator Bell, the characteristic features of which were fruit symbols and a gooseneck coins deposit system.

The first prototype of 5-reeled slot machine was developed by Pitt and Sittman Company in 1891. The machine contained 50 playing card symbols and the winning was determined by the poker combinations. Later the Jack of Hearts and the Ten of Spades cards were removed to increase the house odds. The winning was not cash but prizes offered by the establishment, where the slot was played. It could be a drink or a packet of cigarettes.

Later Fortune of Slot Machines

In the 1930s Mills offered cabinets designed in different themes, like Lion Head, Roman Head, War Eagle and Castle Front. In 1946 Bugsy Siegle set up in Las Vegas the Flamingo Casino, where the slots were introduced as a gamble game. At that time slot machines were the game for women, as they were playing it, when men were enjoying their favorite games.

In the 1950s the electro-mechanical era started with introducing 8-reeled slot machine Big Bertha. It had 20 symbols on each reel and payback percentage of 80%. In 1964 Money-Honey appeared. Due to electricity the players were able to enjoy flashing lights and exciting sounds during the game. In the 1970s the Dollar Slot was introduced and from that time slots took significant place on the casino floor.

Computerized Era of slot machines began in the 1980s, when the company Sircoma introduced the first video poker slot. New slot machines gave the opportunity to play multi-line games, win diagonal and vertical combinations, get bonuses and derive a benefit from progressive jackpot slots.

Online Slot Machines

Online slots quickly got the recognition of gamblers, as they offer a range of bonuses and privileges for players. Software providers of online casinos were quick to focus on demands of gambling world and developed thousands of different slot games for more than 2000 online casinos.