Throughout the years, slot machines have become ever more popular, allowing players to enjoy hours of fun whilst having the chance to win cash prizes at the same time. From the historical ‘One-Armed Bandit’ to the video slots that occupy a large portion of many online casinos today, these games have witnessed a surge in popularity across the world.

This article will discuss the history of the machines and their progression from land-based games to internet gaming sensations.

When Was The Slot Machine Invented?

The first slot machine as we might know it today could be traced back to around 1891. Known as the ‘One-Armed Bandit’, this slot was invented in NY by Sittman and Pitt. With five drums acting as reels and a lever on the side to create them off, it had 50 card symbols to land. As may be the case with modern fruit machine slots, these were commonly used in bars in the united states.

THE INITIAL Automatic Slot

Not long after the invention of the ‘One-Armed Bandit’, the initial automatic slot was invented by way of a man called Charles Fey in California, in 1895. With just three reels, this slot was widely thought to be running on a much simpler mechanism and only had five reel symbols.

Named Bonanza777 , this first automatic slot could be seen as an influencer for a few modern video slots today that still use three reels and a minimal amount of symbols.

Reel Symbols

Fruit symbols have long been associated with slots which perhaps is due to 1907 and the invention of Herbert Mills’s slot machine. Called the Operator Bell, Herbert Mills created it to rival that of Charles Fey.

Regardless of the evolution of slot machines and reel symbols being made up of almost anything, many video slots still opt for classic fruit symbols. The likes of Double Bubble, one of the popular video slots around, draws on classic features and symbols while still providing players with today’s spinning experience.

Slot Machines ONCE WE Know Them

In 1963, Bally Manufacturing were able to produce a slot with out a side-mounted lever. As the first electromechanical slot machine, it might reward coins automatically lacking any attendant to help. Called Money Honey, this slot machine game paved the way for electronic games into the future.

The Introduction Of Video Slots

Although Bally Manufacturing managed to bring electronic functionality to the slots scene around 13 years earlier, the first real video slots were invented in the mid-70s in California. Fortune Coin Co developed video slot technology in 1976, mounting a display on a slot machine cabinet and gaining approval from the Nevada State Gaming Commission.

Video Slots Today

The video slots we realize today and their place in gaming could be traced back to the 1990s and the launch of the initial online casinos. In 1994, the first online casino launched featuring a range of video slots to play.