Slot machines started achingly simple in 1894. Charles Fey built the first one in his San Francisco workshop. Called the Liberty Bell, it used three mechanical reels with five symbols each.
The machine was crude but effective. Players pulled a lever to spin the reels. When they stopped, winning combinations paid out in coins. The highest prize came from landing three Liberty Bell symbols.
Fey’s invention worked on basic mechanical principles. Springs controlled the spin. Notched discs stopped the reels. A coin dispenser handled payouts. The simplicity made it reliable, which helped slots spread across America.
The best high limit slot sites of today feature games that seem quite a bit more elaborate than Fey’s great invention. But while the visuals of the game have developed quite a bit in the last 130 years, the simplicity of the mechanics remains largely untouched. How have slot machines changed in an age of digital screens?
Early Evolution of Slot Machines
The Liberty Bell’s success sparked a gambling revolution. Fey couldn’t build machines fast enough to meet demand, even though he refused to sell the manufacturing rights. This led other companies to create their own versions, often using fruit symbols to get around gambling laws by offering candy prizes.
The early 20th century brought significant changes. While the first slots emerged around the same time as household electricity, they remained mechanical. In 1963, Bally introduced Money Honey, the first electromechanical slot machine. The combination of electricity and mechanics allowed for more complex features – bigger payouts, multiple coin bets, and flashier displays.
The basic concept stayed the same, but electromechanical slots could do more than their purely mechanical ancestors. Automated payouts went from 50-coin maximum to 500. Lights and sounds became part of the experience. Multiple paylines appeared for the first time.
The Rise of Electronic Slot Machines
The first fully electronic slot machine, Fortune Coin, appeared in Las Vegas in 1976. Instead of physical reels, it used a 19-inch Sony TV screen to display the symbols. Players were initially skeptical of the video display, worried the game could be rigged more easily than mechanical reels.
IGT bought Fortune Coin in 1978 and improved the technology. By the early 1980s, video slots started gaining popularity on casino floors. The technology allowed for more complex games, bonus features, and larger progressive jackpots.
The biggest breakthrough came in 1996 with the first second-screen bonus round in “Reel ‘Em In.” When players triggered the bonus, the screen changed completely to a new animation. This opened up endless possibilities for game design.
Modern video slots can do things mechanical engineers could never have imagined. Multiple bonus rounds, animated characters, movie clips, and intricate storylines have become standard features. Some machines even have ergonomic chairs with surround sound systems built in.
The Global Culture of Slot Machines
So many stories concerning the history of gaming are set in the United States. There, gambling is still highly regional and destination-oriented. This is slowly beginning to change as more and more states embrace more permissive gambling laws.
However, in other parts of the world, robust access to slot machines has been the norm for decades. Australia is a particularly noteworthy example. The “land down under,” has a well-developed “pokie culture.” People who are interested in playing slots for a few hours don’t need to hop in a plane pointed toward the desert. They can head over to their local pub and enjoy a leisurely evening of drinks and low-stakes slots among friends.
Permissive gambling laws favor games like slots in particular. The format makes it easy to play in a pinch. You can sit down and spin the wheel a few times without putting down a bunch of money or slogging through a complicated rulebook.
Online Slots: The Final Frontier in Gambling?
What started as a highly mechanical novelty game has transitioned into something that is at once infinitely more complex and yet just as simple as it has ever been. Despite the digitalization of slots, the rules remain simple and accessible.
Online gaming simply positions them in a format that is accessible and more stimulating. Modern slot games are themed around topics of interest. NFL. Walking Dead. Pirate adventures. If you have an interest, you can safely bet (pun intended?) that there is a slot designed to complement it.
As gaming becomes globally more accessible it’s easier than ever to find these games ready and available just the way you want them. In a pub. At a casino. On your phone.
Online slots may very well be the ultimate culmination of this game’s unique history. Charles Fey certainly never could have imagined a future in which his game would be played on tiny glowing rectangles.
How much further can we take this game that is, at its core, incredibly simple? Time will tell. One thing is for sure—it’s a great time to be a lover of slots.