The slot machine is a true game of chance and has been extremely popular since its invention more than a hundred years ago. The name of slot machine came about in describing the slots’ functions of inserting and retrieving coins that were such a notable feature of the early machines.
The very first slot machine manufactured was called the Liberty Bell, and was released around 1896. Studied as an example of market demand and growth, despite the slot machine being outlawed in California a few years later, manufacturer Charles Fey was unable to keep up with demand, and by 1908 most cigar stores, saloons, bowling alleys, brothels and barber shops had Liberty Bell machines. The Liberty Bell had three reels and one payline.
One Armed Bandits and Fruit Machines
Over the next 50 years there was an increase in the number of these machines produced around the world. These three reel slots games that entertained the world so thoroughly for five decades, and developed such a huge following became known as classic slots games.
They were operated using a lever to spin the reels, hence the nickname of ‘one armed bandits’ and often had fruit symbols on the reels. This was started by slot game variants that actually paid out bubble gum, and the type of gum won was determined by the fruit symbol creating the winning combination, so someone spinning three cherries on the machine was rewarded by winning a stick of cherry bubble gum. These became affectionately known as fruit machines, a name that stuck, particularly in the UK.
The End of an Era
The era of the classic slots game drew to an end when in the early 1960’s Bally introduced the first electromagnetic slots game. Named Money Honey, this electromagnetic game was able to pay even the largest available jackpots, up to 500 coins, immediately without the need for an attendant. This became very popular and ushered in the video slot era.
Another milestone was the first video slot machine in 1976, by the Las Vegas based Fortune Coin Co. This video slot machine was legitimised for use in Las Vegas, and the technology was bought by International Gaming Technology for further and rapid commercial development and production.
Classic Slots Games Today
Over the subsequent decades the video slot machine began replacing the classic slots in casinos and gaming venues throughout the world. Classic slots games slowly disappeared, and were replaced by the new technology, which included both video online slots Australia games and video poker games that were the latest advance in casino game technology. The advantages that this new technology had over the classic slots was that several machines could be linked in order to produce progressive jackpots, the machines no longer required actual coins to be inserted and the pay-out system was fully automated. This clearly suited both the players as well as the casinos.
Nowadays, the slot machine industry has advanced ever so much further, with second screen games, interactive features and constant innovation. Classic slots today is referred to merely as a style, and although the 3 reel slots games are still available for players to enjoy their simplicity, they are really video slots games and driven by a computer generated pseudorandom number generator. Nevertheless, even today the 3 reel machines are generally described as classic style slots games.