The Operator Bell & Silent Bell

Sittman and Pitt developed a gaming machine that became the precursor to future slot machines in New York City. The slot machine was based on poker, featuring 5 drums with fifty card faces each. This game proved popular like hotcakes among New York gamblers.

The credit for this wonderful machine goes to Charles Fey, who designed the first game capable of automatic payouts for all winning combinations. He replaced the cards with five symbols: Hearts, Diamonds, Spades, Horseshoes, and Liberty Bell, using 3 reels instead of 5 drums to simplify reading wins. Three bells in a row delivered the biggest payoff: ten nickels, or fifty cents.

The attractive Liberty Bell symbol made it hugely popular, known as the Liberty Bell.

A Flourishing Industry

By the first decade of the twentieth century, slot machines were found everywhere. The Mills Novelty Company introduced the Operator Bell after minor variations to the Liberty Bell design. Fruit symbols became a salient feature. Mills progressed toward five more Liberty Bell variants, but World War I broke out. Over 30,000 machines had been manufactured in factories across countries, including Europe.

The reign of cast iron machines ended with Mills introducing cheaper wooden versions. In the early 1930s, further changes by Mills revolutionized slot machines.

The Double Jackpot let players win twice in quick succession. These quieter machines were called “Silent Bells.”

New Trends for New Era

In 1978, when gambling was legalized in Atlantic City, Bally dominated over 90% of the industry. The company increased reel counts, making jackpots tougher while maximizing them. With 25 symbols per reel, bets escalated from $5 to $100. Bally hired Inge Telnaes, a skilled programmer, to boost jackpots without reducing profits. Telnaes implemented a random number generator for virtual reels, altering winning probabilities. This idea revolutionized slot machines, creating opportunities like the California gold fields.