The History of Slots

If you have ever been to a casino then you certainly have heard of a slot machine, they are to be seen in most gambling establishments and definitely all casinos.

Since 1887 people have been putting their coins in the slot, pulling the handle and hoping they are going to be the one to win the jackpot. Charles Fey is the man we have to thank for this popular game. Charles Fey built the original slot machines by hand in the basement of his home and then rented them to local casinos in San Francisco, so not only was Charles Fey the inventor of slot machines he was also the first proprietor.

The original slot machines had different symbols on the reels than you see today; the images were hearts, diamonds, spades, bells, horseshoes and a star. The first slot machine was called The Liberty Bell. The original slot machines were operated with nickels. They worked basically the same as today's slot machines; you deposited a nickel in the slot, which would release the handle for the player to pull down. When a certain combination of symbols appeared the players was warded with coins.

Charles Fey teamed with the Mills Novelty Company in 1907 and updated his Liberty Bell slot machine. They introduced the Mills Liberty Bell slot machine. It had a cast iron case and cast iron feet with toes, later the feet were replaced with ornate decorated feet. The Mills Novelty Company then introduced the Operator Bell in 19110, which varied just slightly from the Liberty Bell. The Operator Bell had a gooseneck coin entry and had fruit symbols on the reels. This also had a cast iron case. In 1915 the Mills Novelty Company introduced slot machines with wood cabinets bringing an end to the cast iron slot machines.

During the 1930's the Mills Novelty Company began making additional to slot machines. The slot machines were referred to as "silent bell" because they were much quieter; they also had double jackpots to double player's chances of winning. The slot machines also started being designed with themes there was the Lion Head, War Eagle, Roman Head and Castle Front. The themed designs were quite memorable.

Slot machines gained quite a bit more popularity in the 1940's when Bugsy Siegel furnished his Flamingo Hilton Hotel with them for the wives and girlfriends of the high rollers.

Slot machines were originally made with three reels and some still are, however today's slot machines you see in casinos typically have four or five reels. The bad side of that is the more reels the more difficult your chance of winning the jackpot.

For a long time there was a certain way of pulling the handle down on the slot machines to win the jackpot, this has led to modifications made on the slot machines. Today the majority of slot machines are electronic and computer controlled, thanks to this cheating is pretty much a part of the past. This easy game and the chance to win a big jackpot make it quite appealing to everyone.

The History of Slots - Part 2