Slots History

The Evolution In Slot History

It is said that if you make a visit to the "Liberty Belle Saloon and Restaurant" in Reno, Nevada, you can see the very first slot machine, "The Liberty Bell". The Liberty Bell was a cumbersome contraption of iron and simple symbols that was known to pay out its winners a whopping 50 cents-a virtual fortune in the 1850s. Slots have been around for over a century now and have always held a place in the hearts of players.

Before Charles Fey invented his "Liberty Bell" slot machine, there was another game that marked the beginning for slots popularity. In New York, there was a game that consisted of five steel drums with poker hands on them. The winners of these rudimentary slots would be paid in prizes.

Fey is also credited for creating the classic fruit symbols that we now know. Americans in this time became increasingly upset and worried about the very moral fiber of its citizens who could be easily swayed into playing these corrupt gambling devices. Well, Fey was a very inventive man and these slots began to take on the shape of a simple and innocuous vending machine. So good was the look-alike slots, that the public and police were often confused as to which machine was which! Can you imagine the prude and proper and librarian trying to buy a pack of gum and accidentally winning a big and noisy jackpot? How funny it must have been to see her righteous indignation.

The slots went through the sad times of prohibition when it seemed the American government put an end to all things fun. It became the fashion of the 1930s to be anti-drinking and anti-gambling-especially anti-slots. Politicians and police took photo ops with the destruction of slot machines, the lugubrious machines too easy a target.

The Las Vegas strip and specifically Bugsy Siegel came to the rescue for the slot machine. His casino was concerned with how best to take care of its high rollers and that includes their wives. It's said that he filled up all the empty spaces on his floor with the slot machines in order to keep the players' wives entertained.

The slot machines made its electric metamorphosis in the 1960s with all the noises, colors and blinking lights that we immediately associate with slots. The 70s introduced the slots that we know now with their computer chips and random number generators. Some estimates account for these little slot machines making 70 to 80% of the casino's profit.

You can't find anything except the electronic slots now. Many machines will have the old fashioned pull arm, just for a bit of nostalgia, but you are playing with sophisticated software and computer programs. The great thing that you get now is the outrageous number of them choices. Online slots are the latest evolution in the history of slot machines. They use the same software, offer even hotter themes and sometimes better payouts since there is virtually no overhead as compared to the traditional casino.