A Slot History
The earliest form of a slot machine was created by Pitt and Sittman in New York during 1891. The machine was designed to emulate poker, with 50 card faces distributed in 5 drums. The prize was not dispensed, and was determined by what was offered by the establishment where the machine was located in. In order to make winning more difficult, the 10 of spades and jack of hearts were usually removed. The machine was popular and bars during the time usually had one or more of the machines.
The slot machine became even more popular when Charles Fey introduced the Liberty Bell during 1895. Fey also devised an automatic payout mechanism, wherein there was a definite assigned payout for all possible winning combinations. The highest payout was 10 nickels, which the player gets when he/she spins 3 Liberty Bells.
The Liberty Bell was such a success that other manufacturers tried to buy the distribution rights for it. However, it was reported that Charles Fey wouldn’t sell any of the rights. Others report that he joined hands with Herbert Mills, a manufacturer of arcade machines in Chicago in 1907 to develop the Mills Liberty Bell. Further developments were made and a few years after the company released the Operator Bell, which then featured fruit designs such as cherries lemons and plums. The Silent Bell was produced afterward, whose changes included lighter weight, less noise, as well as bonuses such as double jackpot.
Other manufacturers joined the bandwagon. The Bell-Fruit Gum Company manufactured a machine that dispensed gum as winning. The flavors of the gum, which included melon, were assigned as the symbols on the reels. The BAR, which is now a symbol synonymous with the slot machine, is a design that came from the same company’s logo.
The dispensing of food prizes was a common method to avoid laws as the Anti-Gambling movement began. It occurred during early 1900 until early 1960’s. The popularity of the slot machine rose again with the start of the electronic age, with Nevada Electronics releasing the first all electronic slot machine called the “21” machine. Compared with the mechanical machines, the new machines were lighter and could seat 2-4 persons. Cheating was also stopped since unlike the older machines where mechanical reels were easier to manipulate, the new online slots were equipped with microprocessors
Further improvements in slot machines included video slot machines released by Fortune Coin Company during 1975. However, these did not gain much popularity as people mistrusted the machines since they could not see the wheels turning. When the company was purchased by International Game Technology or IGT, they developed the machines, and these machines started gaining popularity with Las Vegas Casinos. In 1982, the company developed Megabucks, and these machines in turn paved the way for a new generation of slots.
The slot machine, also known as the one-armed bandit, is the most popular method of gambling in casinos. Majority of the online casino income comes from these machines. However, even before casinos were in business, slot machines were already around and were as popular then as they are today.
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