Actual gambling machines have been
around for over 115 years and have been popular ever since they were first
invented. The first gambling machine was developed by Sittman and Pitt in
1891 in the American city of Brooklyn. The symbols they used were playing
card faces and payouts were based on poker hands. The 50 symbols were on 5
drums which would spin when a player placed a nickel in the machine and
pulled the lever. The first machines did not pay out cash, instead the
prizes would be goods from the bar that the machine was located and were
based on how good the poker hand was. An automatic payout system was not
possible due to the wide range of poker hands that could produce a winning
combination. Typically the Ten of Spades and the Jack of Hearts were removed
from the drums to put the odds more in favour of the machine. These were key
cards as they make an appearance in wider range of winning hands, e.g.
straights.
The first slot machine as we know it today was the, Liberty Bell which was
developed by a Charles Frey in American city San Francisco in 1899. This new
machine had 3 spinning reels which featured 5 symbols which were diamonds,
hearts, spades, horseshoes and a Liberty Bell. The machine was simpler and
therefore enabled Fey to work out an automatic payout mechanism. If you hit
3 bells in a row on the pay line that would win you the Jackpot prize of 10
nickels. If you won nothing it was termed "Jack".
Classic cherry and melon symbols come about from an early slot machine which
had prizes of different flavoured chewing gums which has pictures of the
flavours on the actual reels. Another classic symbol, the BAR was the logo
of the Bell Fruit Gum company.
The first electro-mechanical slot machine was developed by Bally
Manufacturing in 1964 and was called Money Honey. This was the first machine
in over 50 years that started to move on from Feys original invention.
Internally the machine replaced springs and levers with electrical
components and for the player the outward changes really added to the gaming
experience with multiple coin play and higher jackpots. The use of the
electricity allowed exciting slots noises and flashing lights. Overnight the
slot machine had become a whole lot more exciting and appealing to a lot
more people.
Bally Manufacturing continued to lead the way in the development of slot
machines and in the mid 1970's introduced a a Dollar Slot Machine which
casinos arranged in carousels and bigger jackpots. Until now slots had been
consider secondary gambling games for the casinos, with the table games
considered primary profit games. This was now changing as the slots become
increasingly popular.
a new company called Sircoma produced a video poker slot machine. At first
players were untrusting of the video aspect as they could not actually see
the reels spinning. However they soon become very popular and still are
today both in live casinos and online.
slot machines started accepting bills so players no longer needed to get
change in coins to play, this meant more time at the slot machine and
actually playing the slot even easier.
The popularity of slots is exploding on the internet as software providers
are coming out with new variations weekly for the casinos and many games now
having amazing bonus game features which also offer great prizes. Many of
these games are luck based, but proving popular are some skill based bonus
games.
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