If you have been a casino regular, you must have realized the importance of slot machines in casinos. Almost all casinos of the world whether based onland, water or online have slot machines games to entertain their customers. The slot machine basically is gambling equipment, that becomes functional, when coins or tokens are added into a slot, and the handle in the machine is pulled. After the handle is pulled, a set of spinning symbols on wheels gets activated and the final order of it concludes the settlement that is set off into a receptacle at the bottom. But, how this form of casino game appeared and evolved can be traced to its history. The origination of the slot machines happened many years back in the late 19th century. Following which the casino game has been continuously upgraded.
The History
The slot machines were first created by the American based company Sittman and Pitt in the year 1891. The play included 5 drums and 50 playing cards. The machine formed a part of many bars and paid in kind. However, the invention of the slot machine is credited to Charles Augustus Fey, who made the first slot machine somewhere between 1887 and 1895. The machine created by him had automatic payout process. Charles replaced the existing 5 drums 3 reels and cut short the playing cards to only 5 symbols namely hearts, spade, horseshoes, diamond and a liberty bell. The maximum payout was given when 3 bells were achieved. This is where the machine came to be known as the Liberty Bell. The equipment gained too much popularity and was duplicated by many manufacturers as Charles didn’t file apetition to copyright its design.
1902 and forward
The slot machines were officially abolished in 1902, but the production of Liberty bell didn’t come to a standstill. The payout in the form of cash was stopped and so a new fruit machine came into existence. The fruit machine used fruit symbols and prizes were given in the form of sweets and chewing gum. In 1907, another set of slot machine was produced by Herbert Mills and was known as Operator Bell. After this, the slot machines remained purely mechanical till 1964, when the electromechanical shot Money Honey was liberated by Bally. The machine was the first with a bottomless hopper and allowed automatic dispersal of money up to 500 coins. The game was ahuge success and gradually progressed with the removal of the familiar lever from new slots.
1976 and video slot
In 1976, Fortune Coin manufactured the first true video slot in its Las Vegas-based company. The machine after some modification was approved by the Nevada State Gaming Commission and gained huge popularity in the Las Vegas Strip. Moreover, the second round of revolution in the history of slots commenced in the year 1996 with the launch of “Reel ‘Em” created by WMS Industries Inc. The uniqueness of the machine was its video slot, which comprised of a second screen bonus round. The bonus round allowed more pay-outs for the player. The slots are hugely responsible for the huge profits that casinos all over the world earn. The popularity of the internet and the launch of online casinos have also contributed to the development of slot games.