History Of Slot Machines

Slot machines are a favorite with all visitors to casinos. Seldom does as gambler leave a casino without playing at least one slot machine. In fact, the internet also offers online slot machines that can be played while sitting in the comfort of your home. However, all this enjoyment in the game is possible only because of the inventor of slot machines, Charles Fey.

It was in 1895 that the first mechanical slot machine was invented by Charles Fey, which was then called the Liberty Bell. This first slot machine had three spinning reels which had diamonds, hearts, spades and one cracked Liberty Bell painted around each reel. A person could win the biggest payoff when the three bells landed in a row. Then, the biggest payoff consisted of only fifty cents or ten nickels.

If one is interested in seeing the original Liberty Bell slot machine (it is still around) can be seen at the Liberty Belle Saloon and Restaurant that is located on 4250 S. Virginia, Reno Nevada. This first slot machine was also referred to as the 'fruit machine' or 'one-armed bandit'.

Slot machines were originally used for automatic vending machines and as gambling devices. It was only in the 20th century that slot machines were restricted only for use as a gambling device.

The slot machines that Charles Fey invented were so successful, that he found it difficult to meet its product demand from his small shop. Taking this advantage, many larger gambling supply manufacturers had tried to buy the manufacturing and distribution rights of the slot machine. However Fey refused these offers.

It was in the year 1907 that Herbert Stephen Mills who was a Chicago manufacturer of machines used in arcades considered the idea of manufacturing a machine that was similar to the Fey's Liberty Bell. Doing so, Herbert Mills set about producing a new machine, which was called the Operator Bell.

The 1930's saw the proliferation of slot machines across America with its demand increasing steadily by the day. Seeing the popularity of the machine, Bugsy Siegel added slot machines to his Flamingo Hilton hotel, which was situated in Las Vegas, in the late 1940's. These slot machines were first introduced as a means of entertaining the wives and girlfriends of men who spent most of their time and money gambling.

However with the popularity of slot machines increasing every hour, its revenue soon surpassed the revenue that was generated by table games. The mid 1980's saw the popularity of slot machines and table games running head long with each other. And it was in the 1990's that slots finally started taking over other casino games. In fact, today slot machines account for over two thirds of the revenue generated from casinos in US.

After its success in US, slot machines gained universal appeal in casinos as unlike other games, this was a game that played at the pace of the player. There was no requirement of the part of the player to have any skill to play the game. And with this success internationally and online, there was no pulling back on the rise on popularity and growth of slot machines.