Slot Machine History
Roulette | Scratch Card | Slots | Keno | Craps | Blackjack | Baccarat
Poker | 3 Card Poker | Pai Gow | Video Poker | Sic Bo | Casino War
Poker | 3 Card Poker | Pai Gow | Video Poker | Sic Bo | Casino War
The History of Slot Machines
The slot machines are one of the newest forms of gambling that has hit the gaming scene. Due to the fact that slot machines are a new addition, we can actually know the true history of where and how they began. As most gambling games are shrouded with a cloud of mystery, it is very difficult to find their true roots. Slots are a breath of fresh air in this realm, and their history is tied closely to the development of machines and modern technology. | |||||||||
| |||||||||
 |
Today, slot machines are the most popular real money casino games available. Casinos, both land-based and online, can offer some two hundred different slot games. New slots games are invented constantly, to pique the interest of the gamers; however, it was not always this way. The first slot machines were not even only used for gambling - they were originally vending machines!
Early Poker-Based Slot Machines
To make sense of all this, we need to go back to the beginning. The first slot machine was invented in 1891, by a company called Pitt and Sittman. This machine was more like an automatic poker machine (the first version of video poker, if we may). It would display a poker hand when a coin was put in the slot and the arm pulled. This machine, however, did not have a payout mechanism, and if someone won, the proprietor of the establishment would give out a prize (generally in the form of a free drink).A few years later, in 1895, a San Francisco auto mechanic named Charles Fey invented the ancestor of the modern slot machine. This slot machine was named the Liberty Bell, and featured three reels, with the symbols of a diamond, a spade, a heart, and a liberty bell (taken after the cracked bell in Philadelphia), painted onto each of the reels. The high payout for this first slot machine was ten nickels, or fifty cents! This machine weighed in at about 50 kg and was made mostly of iron.
The first slot machines did not gain widespread notoriety. For years, different companies wanted to buy the patent for the slot machine from Fey, but he refused. Instead, he would let local businesses use the slot machines, for which he would charge a rental fee.
Finally, in 1907, Charles Fey partnered up with the Mills novelty company, who helped to create a whole line of slot machines. The first fruit slot machine, which came out in 1910, was called the "Operator Bell". In 1915, the Mills company produced the first non-iron slot machine. This made a big difference when it came to the marketing of slot machines, as the new wooden slot machines were much easier to ship. It also seemed to add to the rise of the popularity of slot machines as more sprung up nation-wide.
Slot Machines and Prohibition
Unfortunately, around the same time that slot machines began to become popular, so did the anti-gambling movement in the USA. It quickly became popular for politicians to run for office with campaigns based on anti-drinking and anti-gambling rhetoric! In New York City, to show how strongly he stood behind the temperance campaign, the mayor had slot machines dumped into the harbor. Sadly enough, in his zeal, the politician made mistakes, and many of the "slot machines" thrown over were actually vending machines!However, during the prohibition period, many "businessmen" prospered in their underground dealings. One of these men, whom we all know as "Bugsy", decided to put slot machines to better use. As he had many wealthy customers, he used slot machines to keep the wives of these men entertained. The slot machines did the job! The women were entertained, "Bugsy" made money, and slot machines received a new claim to fame!
Electric Slots and Slot Machines Online
In 1963, the first electric type slot machines were created. Some of the new features included the electric bell and motorized payouts. This was the early version of the slot machines that we use today! In only a short time, fully electric slots were on the casino floors, paving the way to the creation of video poker machines! Finally, in the 1980's, slot machines began to run on microchips, which is what is still used today to power slots in land based casinos.During the past ten years, slot machines have made a big hit online. However popular these machines were previously, the easy online accessibility and simple love for the game has skyrocketed their popularity. Internet casinos are always trying to stay ahead of their competition by continually creating new Internet slot machine games. Every month many casinos introduce a few new Internet slot games to their already huge online selection. Player can now go to online casinos to find that they are flooded with choices in their slot games. The issue that many new players face now is simply to decide on which slots to begin - First Web Internet Casino offers over 150 slots games. Find old classics and new favorites; play for fun or for real money; see why Internet slots are the most popular game on the web!
