The Slot Machines History & Origin
Slots is about the only casino game that is 100% American. It is believed by many that Charles Fey invented the first slot machine back in 1887, it didn't take long before another manufacturer starting producing the machines also, in 1891 Sittman and Pitt of Brooklyn, New York started manufacturing, they developed a gambling machine which contained 5 drums which held a total of 50 cards. The machine was extremely popular, so much so that almost ever bar in the city of New York had a slot machine.The first machines where made from cast iron and where very heavy which made them difficult to transport and required a player to place a coin in slot, the machine had no fixed payout system, every establishment would have their own payout schedules in the form beer or cigars.
In was then in 1898 that Charles Fey from San Franciso, California developed the first 3-reel slot machine called Liberty Bell. The machine name was derived from it's bell tone that would ring whenever a jackpot was won. By reducing the amount of drums from 5 Reels to 3 Reels reduced the complexity of reading a win so Charles Fey as able to devise an effective payout schedule. Charles Fey both manufactured and rented out his slot machines to gaming halls and casinos for a wopping 50% of all profits. Then in 1907 he teamed up with the Mills Novelty Company and updated the Liberty Bell slot machine.
In 1911 a statewide ban on slot machines in California was introduced, to circumvent that law vending machines that dispensed gum for every nickel played started appearing, these machines had pictures of the flavours it dispensed as symbols on the reels, over 30,000 of these machines where made. The advent of the prohibition didn't stop slot machines popularity from flourishing, the bet amounts increased and so did the payouts. In fact, slots were so lucrative that it attracted the criminal element, so much so that when the prohibition finally eneded in 1934 the bell machine had been dubbed the "one-armed bandit".
Slot machines continued to evolve with the introduction of new cabinet designs, wooden cabinets in very striking colors and unique themes. Today both 3-reel and 5-reel combinations of slot machines are still manufacturered, however the more reels a slot machine has the less likelyhood of winning the jackpot.
The popularity of slots continued and by the mid 80's it had matched that of table games and by the early 90's had become the casino's most popular game and their prime source of income, overall over two-thirds of most casino's revenue is generated through slots.
Today all slot machines are electronic and computer controlled using a RNG which ensures that fair play exists for both players and the casino and online slot machines are run in a similiar manner. Unlike the one-armed bandit's of the past, pulling the handle or simply pressing the bet button gives the same outcome.