Evolution of Gambling Slot Machines from First to the Last

Tastes differ in a variety of ways, but when it comes to casino games, the majority of people love the exciting nature of the gambling slot machines. Slot games faced several challenges after the first releases but stayed strong to this day. In online casinos, in fact, they are the top trending games right now. We enjoy gambling slots on our mobile phones, PCs, play entertaining games, and all that. That was not the case in the early years of video slots and through the evolution of slot machines when getting to this point. In this post, we will try to analyze the history of gambling slot machines and see various features that they possessed during those phases. So, let’s start with the very first slot machine.

Liberty Bell by Charles Fey

The first slot machine that has ever been created was by Charles Fey in 1887. In various sources, we can see that Charles did complete the initial slot machine mechanic two years before the release date. That gambling slot was very primitive and had a much simpler design/mechanism. There were only five slot symbols on that machine: diamonds, A Liberty Bell, Hearts, Spades, and Horseshoes. It was a three-reel slot machine. The first machine by Fey consisted of 10 playing cards and five drums. By replacing the cards with symbols and drums with reels,

Charles managed to create a simpler version. From that time, reading the winning result became easier for both machine and player. Thus, this helped Charles to develop an automatic payment mechanism. Various combinations can help you to win prizes. The highest paying combination was consisting of thee Liberty Bells. It was the most critical symbol in the game, and that was the main reason why Charles named the invention after that symbol. This symbolic gambling slot machine paved the way for other devices. Charles showed the world that it is possible to create such a machine that can help you to enjoy gambling and reduce stress.

Operator Bell and The Rising Popularity of Slot Machines in The Early 1900s

The game got so popular that the US government at a time decided to ban casinos from using these devices. The rising demand for these machines made other manufacturers copy them too. After 21 years, the manufacturer from Chicago created another Bell slot machine, which he called Operator Bell. During that time, you would see these machines almost in all barbershops, bowling places, cigar stores, and brothels. So, Charles made it famous, and his first invention, which pushed gambling slots to become one of the best casino games ever, is now placed in Liberty Belle Saloon, which is located in Las Vegas, Nevada. You can visit and see the first-ever slot machine there.

The Invention of Pitt and Sitman

In 1891 two technicians from Brooklyn, New York, created a gambling machine. The primary reason why the machine got interested in the audience because it was mainly based on poker. Five drums were holding 50 poker cards faces. That machine was allowing people to put money on and pull a lever so that drums can move and give them cards. Players who had the best cards among all would win the game. As we already mentioned, this machine was reminding us of a gambling slot with its design but mainly played with poker rules. The local entity was deciding the rewarding system for players. The rewards were primarily consisting of cigars, free drinks, and sometimes cash. That was the primary reason why this machine became popular around bars and restaurants. 

Other Considerable Gambling Slot Machines that Came After Bells

The early gambling slot machines lead the way for the creation of iconic symbols in today’s casino slot games. For instance, in those machines, players could earn chewing gums according to the card that they get from spinning reels. The idea of using fruits as symbols were derived from these actions. The Bar symbol is inspired by the Bell Gum Fruit company’s logo. At that time, strict anti-gambling laws were restricting cash prizes. So, to meet the guidelines, people were using food prizes. The initial philosophy of the slot is to get a high reward for little investment. So, since those early days of slot machines, this idea brought us from fruit baskets to billion-dollar jackpots. 

Rise of Electromechanical Slots

Electromechanical machines came to the scene in the early 1940s by Bally. At that time, the usage of those machines was less, and it had a basic format for playing. In 1963 the Bally launched the first-ever electromechanical gambling slot machine, which he called the Money Honey. This machine was an upgraded version of previous ones and had a lot of potential in the industry. The machine has a bottomless hopper, and it was able to automatically payout prizes that are up to 500 coins. The need for the attendant was no longer the case, and players could freely enjoy gambling slots by themselves. The popularity of this machine was the indicator of the rising prevalence of future video slots.  

The Creation of the First Video Slot Machine

Fortune Coin Co-created the first-ever true electronic slot machine in 1976. The initial developers of that machine were J. Reaukes, W.Beckman, N. Cerrachio, R. Greene, and L.Black. This video slot machine had a modified 19-inch color screen. The software of this machine was helping to accomplish most of the slot functions. This machine was placed in Hilton Hotel, which is located in Las Vegas. After this invention, the technology helped developers to improve slot machines as they created the two-screen video slot machine in 1994. With this machine, players had the chance to get bonuses, and with a more improved visual interface, video slots captured even more attention from players. 

Final Result of the Slot Evolution

Ever since they created in the 19th century, gambling slot machines became favorites of casino players. With advanced technology and the internet, the casino phenomenon moved to the online sphere in the late 1990s. The popularity of the casinos increased rapidly, and online gambling businesses replaced land-based parlors as a result. New Riverslot sweepstakes games have a variety of aspects that Bell machine players would never think that can be possible. Advanced graphics are the main part of that evolution.

Nowadays, it is hard to tell if someone is playing casino or video games by looking at the screen. 

Slots now offer cascading reels, thrilling storylines, and movie clips. It is undoubtedly more entertaining than playing the three-reel simple fruit machine. With the availability of these resources, slot game developers now use pop culture to attract various segments of the audience. As the number of providers and available features grow, the demand for the game increased as well. This player demand leads to the competition, which ultimately pushes the industry to become the best in all gambling world. 

Modern technologies like VR (Virtual Reality) and 3D visuals made slots more entertaining. VR is undoubtedly taking over the industry in recent years. Companies are aware of this, and they invest in these technologies to make their gambling slot machines more appealing for the young generation. 

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