Slot machine games are popular and have been around for over a 100 years. These games are one of the most popular ones around with countless players from around the world participating in slot games for gambling. The primary reason behind the popularity of these games is that they are really simple and easy to play and though they require some skill to master, they also offer every player with the opportunity to get decent returns on their bets. In fact, you can also find many games that start out as low as $0.01. The history of this game is also quite long and interesting.
Initially known as the “one-arm bandit”, this slot machine game did not require players to deposit money in the slot game and pull the “arm” or lever to make the reels spin. This game was invented by Charles Fey who went about creating the game way back in 1895. This first every version of the slot machine game functioned on the principles of poker games which required basic automation mechanisms.
This game had five simples which facilitated easy calculation by the machines if and when a player gets a winning combination. Most popular symbols used in the one arm bandit slots game included spades, diamonds, hearts, horseshoe and the liberty bell. This name was given to the machine when it was introduced to the world. In the initial days, the jackpot amount for a victory came up to 10 nickels. A player won this amount when he/she got three symbols in a row. Charles Fey’s early inventions grew to popularity though this kind of gaming was banned in the region of California; it’s hoe state. In fact, the game grew to such popularity that you can still find the early edition of the original Liberty Bell based game in Reno.
Ever since this very basic version of the game was introduces, many other modifications were added to the game which made the atmosphere quite competitive. Game developers from the era, however, stuck to the theme of the bell which is yet another popular kind of slot game known as the Operator Bell. Herbert Mills from the windy city of Chicago was the one to discover this game. The main purpose of these slot machines was to provide additional entertainment in locations such as barber shops, saloons, cigar shops, bowling alleys, retail and entertainment outlets and even brothels.
Another popular concept in slot machine games was the fruit machine game. This game included fruit symbols such as cherries and bananas. These symbols are in use even today and are believed to have originated from the era when gambling was not legal in many states. In order to evade this ban, the slot machines in these regions would give out chewing gum instead of the customary money prizes. In fact, even the bar symbol which is quite popular and widely used in slot games gained inspiration from the popular logo of the Bell-Fruit Gum Company.
The modern version of the slot game as we know it came into existence much later. The Money Honey slot game developed in the early 1960s by Bally Technologies is the precursor to most present day slot games. This game provided the much required breakthrough that made slot games so popular.