History of Slots

Slots are a famous game machine, the history dates back to 1887, more than a century ago, when an American mechanic Charles Fey developed the first slot machine. It consisted of three reels, each having five symbols. This slot machine came to be known as the Liberty Bell because of its highest payout symbol, liberty bell. The other symbols were spades, hearts, horseshoes and diamonds.

The Liberty Bell originated in California, Fey’s home state, but even after gambling was banned there, the demand for the slot machine increased so much that Fey could not find himself able to meet up the demand.

In a short space of time, more and more slot machines were created. However, it was not until 1887 that the first five-reeled slot machine was created by Sittman and Pitt; it had a fifty card faces and a large variety of poker combinations which yielded high payouts for players.

Money-Honey, the first ever fully mechanical and automatic slot machine, was introduced by Bally Manufacturers in 1963. Unlike previous incarnations of the machine, this version didn’t require an assistant to process a payout; rather it could payout around 500 coins itself.

The slot machines that were introduced in 1976 are famous in Las Vegas and rest of America to this day and are called video slots. These were the modifications of the originally designed slot machines but are cheat-free to a greater extent.

Earlier slot machines had only one or three paylines, but with better technology and interest among players, more paylines were added with the number increasing from 9 to 50. In many modern slot machines, more than 243 ways of increasing the chances of winning have been developed, thereby giving up the idea of pay lines completely.

As is obvious from their popularity among people, slot machines form the major proportion of games in any casino and they occupy most of the land area as well. Moreover, the profit they earn is also much more than earned from any other game. Online availability of slot machines has made it possible for many people, who cannot visit casinos or don’t want to bother themselves with going outside, to play these games online. The introduction of various themes and new bonus games also keeps the game interesting.

The movie themed slot machines are also much in demand these days, as more and more people want to enjoy their favorite move embodied in a slot machine.