There are literally dozens to pick from, both online and offline.
But from where did they come?
Here is the summary of the history of the first slot games, as well as how they have changed and progressed over time:
1891
Slot games have been around since the late 19th century.
In 1891, Sittman and Pitt, a New York-based business, created the first slot machine.
The game consisted of 5 drums, each containing 50 playing cards.
The machine cost a nickel to play and was available in many places.
To play, players would place their money in the slot and pull the lever.
For aligning poker hands on the reels, payouts were made.
The ten of spades and the jack of hearts were taken out of the slot game machine to raise the house advantage.
The likelihood of getting a royal flush was halved as a result.
Wins were paid out at the bar because the machine lacked a direct payout mechanism.
These were non-monetary awards like free alcohol and cigarettes.
1887 – 1895
Many people credit Charles Augustus Fey with creating the first slot machine.
Although the precise date of the creation of his first machine is unknown, it is thought to have occurred between 1887 and 1895.
Fey invented a device that could make rewards automatically.
He simplified the machine’s ability to read a win in order to do this.
Three reels were used in place of the five drums that were previously in use.
Additionally, he did away with the playing cards in favor of just 5 symbols:
- A liberty bell, a horseshoe, a heart, a diamond, and a spade.
The Liberty Bell slot game machine was so named because it offered the greatest reward for three bell symbols.
The device became quite well-liked.
Numerous other slot machine makers imitated Fey’s idea because he neglected to submit an application for a patent.
1902 – 1908
Even after they were formally abolished in 1902, the Liberty Bell was still produced.
The age of the fruit machine started when cash awards could no longer be awarded.
In these machines, prizes were represented by fruit, and the corresponding-flavoured chewing gum and sweets were utilised as payment.
Herbert Mills, a Chicago-based manufacturer, created the Operator Bell slot machine in 1907.
The device could be found in the majority of tobacconists, bowling alleys, businesses, and salons by 1908.
At this time, slot machines began to feature the BAR symbol, which was based on the Bell-Fruit company’s emblem.
The Next Developments
Slot game remained completely mechanical for many more years.
You had to pull down a lever to start the game, which would spin the reels.
You could gradually stop the reels from spinning by pushing on this lever, which would stretch an internal spring.
Players felt that they had influence over the game and the outcome when they played slots manually.
This is one of the factors contributing to the popularity of these devices.
The slang term “one armed bandits” originated as a result of the lever.
1964
Bally introduced the first slot machine that was entirely electromechanical in 1964 under the name Money Honey.
Pulling the lever was still required to start the game even if the reels were totally electrically driven.
Playing the slot game without pulling the lever would have been too foreign to the players at the time.
Its bottomless hopper made it the first slot machine to be able to automatically pay out up to 500 coins.
Due to the game’s enormous popularity, electromechanical slots have become increasingly prevalent.
Soon later, the accustomed lever was taken from the fresh slots.
1976 – 1978
The first genuine video slot was created in the year 1976.
The Fortune Coin corporation with headquarters in Las Vegas produced the slot machine in Kearny Mesa, California.
The display for the game was a 19-inch Sony TV that had been modified.
The Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas was where the game was first made accessible.
After some changes and cheat-proofing, the video slot machine soon received permission from the Nevada State Gaming Commission.
It quickly gained enormous popularity on the Las Vegas Strip. IGT purchased Fortune Coin in 1978.
1996 Onwards
When WMS Industries Inc. released “Reel ‘Em” in 1996, it marked the next significant turning point in the development of slots.
It was the first video slot game to have a bonus round on a second screen.
The bonus game was played on an entirely separate screen when the bonus round was initiated.
During this bonus round, additional payments might be obtained.
Slot machines in casinos grew in popularity over this period.
In reality, they accounted for roughly 70% of a casino’s revenue and occupied 70% of the available floor area.
History Of Slot Game Machine Symbols
The creation of the first online casinos coincided with the mid-1990s internet boom.
Only the traditional casino games, including roulette and blackjack, were offered at first, but soon slots were added as well.
Similar to how slots quickly surpassed more traditional casino games in popularity at land-based casinos.
They eventually made up the majority of the game selection in online casinos.
The Original Symbols In Slot Game
The first slot machine was created by Charles Fey in the late 19th century.
It was a relatively straightforward game where players could win by matching any of the five symbols.
The matching symbols included a horseshoe, a diamond from a deck of cards.
A spade from a deck of cards, a heart from a deck of cards, and a bell.
From which the Liberty Bell machine got its name.
The highest reward, which was awarded when three bells rang simultaneously, was fifty cents.
Fruit Symbols From 1902 In Slot Game
The traditional fruit symbols followed these, which is why some people refer to slot machines as “fruit machines.”
Because the slot game machine would pay out in fruit-flavoured sweets or chewing gum, the symbols were created to look like pieces of fruit.
Which fruit the player landed on would determine which flavour sweet or chewing gum would be won.
The pay-outs were as they were because of the limitations on gambling in some US states.
The machines would still pay out in actual money after the gambling restrictions were repealed, but the fruit symbols remained fixed.
Typically, cherries, apples, watermelons, lemons, and plums would be the fruits.
However, over time, practically every type of fruit has appeared in some capacity on a fruit machine or slot machine.
Slot Game Nowadays
Many people mistakenly believe that playing cards were the first known symbols to debut on slot machines.
Although only Aces, Kings, Queens, and Jacks are typically used in games today, some of them will also include the number 10.
The lucky number seven, however, which is one of the most well-known gambling symbols, emerged from this.
The biggest pay-outs were typically made when three sevens were landed.
And now…
Today, many slot game machines still have the conventional symbols.
Particularly the playing cards, which typically range from the tens to the aces and include the Kings, Queens, and Jacks.
Landing a three-reel piece of fruit or a lucky seven.
However, wasn’t thrilling enough as the slot machine developed and became more sophisticated.
So, the game designers updated the slots to incorporate theme-specific symbols.
Leprechauns, pots of gold, and four-leaf clovers, for instance, might be symbols in a game with an Irish theme.
Similarly, in a game with a super hero theme use let’s Batman and The Joker Jewels as an example.
The player might win when they land on the character symbol of Batman.
There are now wild symbols, scatter symbols, bonus symbols, sticky symbols, multiplier symbols.
And even stacked symbols in addition to the more modern symbols.
Besides, there are online slot games available nowadays.
Therefore, players no longer need to travel to casino in order to enjoy the slot game playing experience.
Furthermore, the online slot games allow players to win the game jackpot relatively easier.
Slot Game History Summary
It should go without saying that things change, and the slot game machine industry is no exception.
The slot game has improved in sophistication, excitement, and symbolism from the 19th century to the present.