The history of slots is an interesting one. Although the first slot machine
was invented over a century ago, the basics still remain the same. Of course
there is no comparison between the technology used between the first slots and
the digital slots of today, but nevertheless there are some similarities.
How It Started
The first slot machine was invented by a certain Charles Fey in San Francisco
way back in 1887. This he called the Liberty Bell. Although the machine was
quite basic in its design, it its day it was bordering on genius. The machine
used three reels, and each reel has 5 symbols - diamonds, spades, horseshoes,
hearts and the Liberty Bell logo.
This was an instant hit but was unfortunately banned in the State of California
and had to be sold in other parts of the USA.
Next Up - Video Poker
The next slot machine on to arrive on the scene was the Sittman and Pitt Slot
Machine out of the State of New York. This machine is credited as being the
start of the video poker revolution, which is in essence closely linked to
slots. The machine used playing cards instead of symbols and there were always
two cards above ten that were removed. This is how the company ensured that they
maintained a considerable house edge.
This machine used five drums, each with ten cards. Players could then pay a
nickel to spin the drums with winners being awarded prizes instead of cash.
However, there was no way to monitor the fairness of these games and more often
than not the machines were tampered with to ensure that the patrons did not hit
too many winning combinations. Thankfully gambling is closely monitored
nowadays.
The Fruit Revolution
The closest machine to what we have today was invented by the Bell Fruit Gum
Company. Although only chewing gum was given out as prizes, this is the first
time that fruit symbols were used. If you think about it, most slots today use
these same fruit symbols on their reels.
The Games of Today
In today's competitive online gambling world, the advancement in games has
been unprecedented. Software manufacturers are striving on a daily basis to
release slots games that outdo their competitors - and with a pool of millions
of potential slots players out there it is the companies that are the most
innovative that will be successful.
There are many companies that produce slots games for online casinos. Some of
the biggest names in the business include Cryptologic, Microgaming and Boss
Media. Although the competition between these companies is fierce, this has
paved the way for the customer to be the winner at the end of the day.
