Slots History

The beginning of the slot machines history was in 1891, designed by Pitt and Sittman in New York which had five drums that would display poker hands. It mechanism was with no payback, so the places that bought them created a way to prize by their own, like free drinks.

Charles Fey came after that. He creates in his basement the first slot call the Liberty Bell, but it was after a certain years later when the slot machines get success, when they were installed in the Flamingo Hilton hotel in the Las Vegas Strip.

The first slot machine created by Fey, was different from today’s ones. In that time the slot machine was over 100 pounds of cast iron, and didn’t use the fruits symbols common associated with slots; instead it had symbols like stars, horseshoes, and diamonds and spades like the one from playing cards. The payout to winners was fifty cents, which was significant back in days. The Liberty Belle Saloon and Restaurant in Reno still has the very first Liberty Bell designed by Fey. The establishment is owned by his grandchildren, who preserve Fey's legacy in the history of slot machines.

The Operator Bell Slot Machine was made by Fey afterward. Its features the famous fruit symbol, and became the standard for slot machines aesthetics. The history of slot machines was changed forever. As non-slot machine attitudes began to rise, Fey had to be intelligent, and he designed many machines to work like vending machines. This would later became the curse of owners of vending machines, as the public often confused the two, and police capitalized upon this when they needed good press. The Bell-Fruit Gum Company, who is presumed to have stolen a slot machine from Fey, was the first to mass produce machines that dispensed gum for every pull in order to mask the nature of the slot machine. This is where the BAR symbol comes from. It was an effort to promote their gum.

The movement against gambling allied on the temperance movement proved to be trouble for Fey. Slot machines started to became illegal first in San Francisco in 1909, then in Nevada a year later, in California in 1911. In the thirties, it was a politically popular to be against gambling but especially anti-slot machine.
"Bugsy" Siegel, the notorious organized crime figure, also figured prominently in the history of slot machine. Bugsy built the Flamingo Hilton on what is now the Las Vegas Strip. "Bugsy" invested in slot machines to fill space in the casino and keep the girlfriends and wives of his rich players busy. He saw them as a novelty, and didn't take them too seriously, but the women who played them did.

Slot machine history evolved as Bally overcame the vulnerability of the mechanical slots by making electronic ones. Electronic slot were much more secure than old mechanical and while not perfect, were much harder to cheat. They became much more well-known in the casino floors, and were less and less associated as novelties. Electric bells, and motorized coin hoppers became standard during this period. Now there were many different Slot Machine types.

The seventies brought about another revolution as companies began using microchips and random number generators to determine the spin of the reels. Pulling the arm became an anachronism as the machines no longer required this to work. As the microchip advanced, so did slots. By the 80's, all the casinos went to microchip-powered slots, and casinos experienced tighter earnings as the machines were infinitely more inexpensive, and the history of slot machines continues on.

The Slot machine expanded popularity later around the world. Slots now account for 80% of casino profits. Slot machines today are completely electronic and come in a million different varieties, but the premise of them all is the same. The software in online slots is the same as a one-armed bandit in Las Vegas.
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