Slots History You Should Know

There are many casino players who don’t care about the background or history of the game; they just want to play the games. That is fair enough and with so many exciting games on offer; you can see why many people have this attitude. However, a growing number of players are showing an increased level of interest in the origins and development of the games they love and when it comes to slots, there is a deep history to be aware of. Slots may seem like a simple game but they have a backstory that is as interesting as any other game you can find in the casino.

The Liberty Bell is where it all began

When you are looking for the origins of slots, it all goes back to The Liberty Bell. The Liberty Bell was the first ever mechanical slot machine and it was invented back in 1895. The brain behind the new machine was Charles Fey, a car mechanic who hailed from San Francisco. The game will be familiar with people who play modern slots because the first ever slots machine has three spinning reels. Onto the reels, images of diamonds, spades and hearts were pained onto the three reels as well as a cracked Liberty Bell. The biggest pay-off available from the came with spinning three Liberty Bells in a row, with this prize being fifty cents. That may sound like a small amount compared to the riches that are available from slot machines today but there is no doubt that it was a prize that everyone wanted to win back then.

If you want to see a bit of casino gaming history, the original slot machine can be found at the Liberty Bell Saloon and restaurant in Reno, Nevada. Nevada has a reputation for some great casinos so if you were looking to have casino fun, you could well take in a little bit of history as well. Charles Fey managed to make a number of early slot machines as well as the Draw Power, the Three Spinde and the Klondike as well as creating the initial draw poker machine. An interesting design component of the Liberty Bell machine was a trade check, which was able to distinguish between real nickels and fake nickels. This was a major invention at the time and there is no doubt that this led the way for many future safety measures. Fey developed his business by renting out the slots to bars and saloons and charging rent on a 50/50 split based on profits.

Classic Slots are where it all began

It is important to remember that the games called classic slots have not always held that name. In the earlier days, this game was just referred to as slots but as newer slots games have been introduced and evolved with increasing technologies, there was a need to differentiate between the different games. Hence, the games that were just known as slots are now referred to as classic slots. These games play out in the way you would expect of a one armed bandit, even if the game is much easier to play, especially in the online era.

Classic slots have three reels and will commonly only have 1 pay-line. This game is the perfect entry game for new players and for players who want a casual approach to their slot playing. If you are looking to adjust to playing slots, this is definitely the way forward for most players. It is vital for players to remember that classic slots are a game of chance, bringing an equal chance for all players to win when playing.

Video slots revolutionised the game

It doesn’t take a great of knowledge to understand that the history of video slots has a strong link to the increasing use of computer game technology. The first ever video casino machine was invented in 1975 when Walt Fraley designed the Fortune Coin video screen game. It was not immediately popular with casino players who took an immediate mistrust to the new slots games. It is natural to think that casino players would have an immediate wariness of the virtual reels compared to the more traditional spinning reels with regards to winning but over time, this aversion weakened.

However, the International Game Technology (IGT) company saw the benefits of the video slots and realised that this was the way forward. This company bought the Fortune Coin manufacturer and utilised this technology to bring out a number of new games. The company would go on to become the second biggest maker of slots with a particular focus on video reel slots.

Online slots bring the story up to date

There have been a number of online casino sites operating since the mid-1990s and it is fair to say that online slots games have been an important part of the online casino operation since then. In the early days, the games were a straight port of the traditional classic games but as technology has improved, so has the quality of games. There are many video slots which utilise the licence of popular TV shows and movies to appeal to a wider audience. However, one of the best uses of the online slots has been in the multi-reel, multi-winning opportunities for players. Some of the modern online slots have over 100 winning outcomes in them, providing a fantastic opportunity for anyone wanting to win big and win often!

There is no doubt that the history of slots is still being written and with the new technologies and advances being made all the time, there are sure to be many more changes to come. There is no way that Charles Fey could have predicted what would come from his invention but there are millions of people who have been delighted that slots came into being. You may not think that the history of slots can compete with some of the other games in the casino but this is clearly not the case.