History of Slots
Slot machine games have been in existence for over 100 years. They are now easily one of the most sought after casino games, with a millions of players around the world choosing slots as their preferred method of gambling. One of the main reasons for slot machine games being so popular is that they are very simple to play and although they are mainly skill based, they promise players a chance to get a very high return on investment, with many games having bets starting as low as $0.01. The history of the slot machine game is very long and fairly interesting.
The first ever known slot machine game was labeled the “one-arm bandit”, since players would have to deposit coins into the slot and pull a lever or “arm” in order for the reels to spin. The one arm bandit is the invention of Charles Fey, who was said to have invented the machine in 1895. The first ever slot machine game was based on a poker game, with a fairly simple automation mechanism.
The game featured five symbols, which made it easier for the machine to calculate when the player achieved a win. This one arm bandit featured the Liberty Bell, horseshoe, hearts, diamonds and spades. The Liberty Bell was the name given to this machine when it was first invented. The jackpot in this game was worth 10 nickels, which the player won when he/she had three Liberty Bell symbols in the single row. Charles Fey and his game gained much popularity, even though gaming was banned in California, which was his home state. The game was so popular that there is still an edition of the original Liberty Bell in Reno.
Since the invention of the Liberty Bell, there have been many different versions of the slot machine game that were created as competition for this game. Many game developers in the past stuck with the bell theme, with the second popular slot machine game being called the Operator Bell, which was invented by Herbert Mills, who was a manufacturer from the windy city, Chicago. These slot machine games were mainly available as additional entertainment in retail and entertainment outlets like barber shops, bowling alleys, cigar shops, saloons and even in brothels.
The concept of the fruit machine game, with the classic fruit symbols like bananas and cherries, which is a practice adopted to this day in many slot games is said to have originated from the time when gambling was banned in many states. In order to bypass this ban, there were a number of slot machine games that were developed which paid out different flavors of chewing gum instead of cash prizes. Even the popular bar symbol, which is used in many three reel slot games is derived from the popular logo that was adopted by the Bell-Fruit Gum Company.
The modern video slot machine game was developed much later. The precursor to this type of game was the Money Honey game, which was invented by Bally Technologies in the early 1960s. This game featured an automatic payout. This was a remarkable breakthrough in the history of the slot machine game.
