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The
Interesting History Of Slot Games
Slot machines are probably the biggest earners
for a casino in the
current climate but how much do you really know
about them? It would be
easy to assume that slots are a fairly modern
invention, relying on
modern technology to make the come to life. It
is fair to say that
slots have greatly benefitted from technological
progress in recent
years but you may be surprised at just how far
back the slots story
goes. This is a game that has been around for
far longer than most
people would think or probably even care to
imagine!
The first ever mechanical slot machine can be
traced all the back to
1895! The machine was called the Liberty Bell
and was invented by
Charles Fey, a car mechanic of San Francisco.
The Liberty Bell slot
machine had three separate spinning reels in it.
On each reel, hearts,
spades and diamonds were painted on and there
was also the image of a
cracked liberty bell. The biggest payoff
possible at the time was for
achieving three Liberty Bells in a row and the
payoff amounted to fifty
cents! It is still possible to see this machine
today as it is on
permanent display at the Liberty Bell Saloon and
Restaurant.
Word quickly spread about the popularity of this
game and Fey was soon
making other slots. Other Fey slots include the
Draw Power, The Three
Spinde and the Klondike. It is also true that in
1901, Charles Fey
created the first draw poker machine. After
making these additional
games, Fey would rent them to bar and saloon
owners, splitting the
money with them 50/50. As you would expect, bar
owners everywhere
wanted in on the action and it was impossible
for Fey to keep up with
demand. A number of gambling supply
manufacturers tried to buy the
distribution and manufacturing rights from Fey
but he always refused.
In 1907, a knock-off of the Liberty Bell was
created by Herbert Mills,
who called his machine the Operator Bell. Mills
machine was notable
because it introduced fruit symbols to the world
of slots with
cherries, plums and lemons all featuring on the
machine.
Slow progress was made in the intervening years
with new variations and
styles of slots being created but the next major
step-on occurred in
1975 when the first electric slot machine was
created. The Fortune Coin
Company was responsible for this machine and
again, it transformed the
games that people know and love today. The slot
machine is perhaps the
iconic game of the casino, requiring no real
level of skill to play the
games, which would invariably be available at a
low price. Even with
the advent of computer technology creating
further advances in slot
machines, there are many players who prefer to
seek out the slot
machines that they know and love.
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