The history of slot machines

Entertainment and games are an integral part of our life. You can find an unlimited number of them, depending on your tastes and preferences. You only have to remember how the aristocracy had fun: equestrian sports, casinos and games, tea parties with relatives. And what has changed in our time since then? Practically nothing, only many things have been modernized, which is quite logical. We will look at the history of the formation of one of the most popular gambling entertainment to this day – a slot machine.

Slot machines are just that, slot machines. The essence of their work is to issue some combinations that allow you to win a certain prize. There are many types of such machines, but they all consist of analog drums (3-5) and a lever. Online slots are designed visually with a familiar look for players. This type of game is quite young and originates from the end of the XlX century in America.

The first of the first

The first slot machine appeared in 1891 from the company Sittman and Pitt. It was a card machine that gives out poker combinations of 5 cards. In such a machine 5 reels were corresponding to the card place in the combination and a lever that starts the game for a certain cost. Such machines were quite popular and were found in many bars. Since they were not automated, the winnings were given to the bartenders in the form of a drink or a cigar.

A few years later, or rather in 1894, the first real slot machine appeared, which serves as a prototype of modern slot machines. Charles Fey from Chicago slightly simplified the design of such a machine by removing 2 drums. But the most important innovation was that now the winnings fell directly from the machine. The card symbols have also changed slightly: instead of the suit of clubs, horseshoes and the liberty bell were added, which served as the name for this machine. Also, these machines are known as the "one-armed bandit", since only one hand could be needed to play it: throw a coin and pull the lever.

Fruit in cars

In 1907, Herbert Mills released a slot machine with symbols that we still meet today-fruits. There was also a BAR symbol, which was the symbol of the Bell-fruit gum company. And this is not accidental. In 1902, a ban on gambling was introduced in America and the creators of these machines found a loophole: the prize was given out with chewing gum, as well as the usual cigars and free drinks from the bar. Thus, fans of slot machines tried to circumvent the ban on their entertainment.

Further modernisation

Slot machines remained popular for many years and beyond. In 1963, a landmark event occurred and a fully electromechanical slot machine with a bottomless bunker was released, which allowed issuing a large number of coins for the game. Such a machine did not need a lever to start, since it was equipped with a button, but it was left as a tribute.

In 1976, the first real video slot was released by the California manufacturer Fortune Coin Co. It was equipped with a 19-inch TV screen and logistics boards. The combinations were determined by a random number generator. It has gained huge popularity in Las Vegas and has been constantly upgraded at the request of the Nevada Gambling Commission to prevent fraud.

Then the games were modernised: bonus moves and games for players began to appear, which increased the chance of winning.

In 1996, the Reel'em In slot machine was released. He used the function of another screen for the bonus game. When three symbols appeared, a new screen appeared, which determined the size of the winnings. This innovation helped to unite several casinos in one game, for example. This appearance helped to further modernize slot machines and the development of the Internet. In the 90s, there was still a ban on gambling in some states. The appearance of the global network allowed avid players to relax a little since all online-slots protect the data of their players. Therefore, online it was possible to combine several games at once and increase your chance to hit the jackpot.

Now there is an incredible number of online-slots like slotmine.com and you can choose absolutely anyone, based on the preferences according to the rules or the number of players. And also from the visual component and the characters that you like.