Many people have grown to love slot machines and slot games though they don’t understand their history. Slot games have not always been what we see them look like today. These games have developed over time to become what they are when you visit SlotSitesUK today.

Would you like to understand the history of slots? Here is a complete guide from when they came into existence till today.

1891

The history of slots starts in the late 19th century when Sittman and Pitt came up with the first machine. This slot machine had five drums and 50 cards.

Two cards were left out to help give the house an advantage over the players. Removing two cards helped the house to reduce anybody’s chance of winning by half. The machine at the time did not have an automatic payout; hence all payments were paid at the bar.

Winners got rewarded with drinks and cigarettes. Monetary payouts did not exist at the time.

1887-1895

Charles Fey is regarded as the father of the first slot machine. There is no exact date that he created the machine, but it is believed to be between 1887-1895. Unlike the first machine, Fey’s machine facilitated automatic payouts.

Instead of 5 drums, Fey used three reels on the machine. Charles also installed five symbols on the machine as an alternative to the 50 cards. These symbols were; hearts, diamonds, spades, horseshoes, and a liberty bell.

From these symbols, the machine earned the name liberty bell.

1902-1908

Though the slot machines were banned by 1902, the liberty bell was still manufactured. Due to the stop of cash prizes, fruit machines were introduced. This machine contained fruit symbols instead of the other symbols.

Winners were rewarded with candy and gums of the same flavour as the fruit symbol they won. In 1907 a Chicago-based company produced a machine called the operator bell. By the end of 1908, the machine was all over shops and saloons.

1964

In 1964 it marked the beginning of the electromechanical slots. The machine operated automatically and allowed a payout of up to 500 coins. Due to the improvement of the machine, the game gained popularity and led to the dominance of electrical slots.

1976-1978

1976 was the year that gave birth to the first video slot. The machine was developed in California by a Las Vegas-based company called fortune coin. The game used a television for display and was first made available to the Hilton hotel in Las Vegas.

Due to the new features, the game gained a lot of popularity

1996

In 1996, the slots moved to another milestone. The WMS industries introduced a video slot that offered a second screen bonus time. This gave players a chance to win more payouts during the bonus time.

This attracted more people to casinos, hence slot games’ great popularity. Slots increased casino’s income and were responsible for about 70% of their income.

Slots are rich in history. This article will help to guide you through the history of slots. After going through this article, you will be able to appreciate the game more.

 

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