Regardless of the language spoken, currency accepted or type of drink served at the bar, casinos around the world will all have one thing in common—slot machines. These staples of the casino floor have been around for well over a century, and continue to be wildly popular both in-person and online. Over the past 120 or so years, the slot machine, such as the ones on the best online casinos uk, has developed significantly. We look at some of these developments that have led us to today.
The Origins of the Slot Machine
To understand the origins of the humble slot machine, we must rewind the clock for well over 100 years. The first slot machine is thought to have been invented around 1887 by Charles Augustus Fey. However, no patent was ever issued, so the machine that we have the most detail about actually came out in 1891. This was a machine developed by Sittman and Pitt, and New York based company. It consisted of five drums with 50 playing cards and was activated by players inserting a nickel and pulling down on a handle to play. The drums would rotate, with the intention of various poker hands being created. Two cards were removed in order to establish a house edge, and bets would be made manually at the bar, where prizes would also be collected.
This type of machine continued to be popular for decades, despite the slot machines getting banned in 1902 for the first time, and a move away from cash prizes occurring.
Slot Machines Become Electromagnetic
For decades, little changed with slot machines. They were operated manually, by “one-armed bandits” who would pull down a lever that released a spring and rotated the machine’s reels.
However, in 1964, this all changed. An entirely electromagnetic slot machine called Money Honey was released by the company Bally. As a means of maintaining some of the original sensations of the gambler being in control by pulling the lever attached to a spring inside the machine, the slot machine would still be activated by pulling a lever, even though it was fully electromagnetic. This slot was also the first to have an automatic pay out of up to 500 coins.
From here, it was an easy hop to the first fully video slot machine. This came in 1976 when Las Vegas company Fortune Coin used a Sony TV as their display.
The Rise of Online Slots
With video slots becoming popular about 50 years ago, the latest shift has now been towards high-quality, engaging slot games that are available fully online.
Through improvements in technology, such as smartphones and access to the internet, the market for online slots has been berthed. This means a move away from being able to physically pull a lever to activate the slot, however, it does mean thousands of slots are accessible at the click of a button.
Today, slots are about so much more than the financial reward. With their excellent graphics and storylines, slots have become an intrinsic experience in and of themselves. For example, check out the best megaways slots, where you’ll see that the game experience is akin to playing a video game—a far cry from how the first slot machine was back in 1887!
