History of Slots

The history of slots exact date of invention is not exactly certain but it is believed to be either in 1887 or 1895 by Charles Frey in San Francisco. Frey’s game was a one-armed bandit named Liberty Bell that consisted of three spinning reels that included five symbols; horseshoes, diamonds, spades, hearts and the Liberty Bell. Even though the history of slots can be credited to Frey, it was quickly copied by slot manufacturers because of the high demand to play. There was never a doubt in the games popularity and soon other games such as the renowned fruit game with cherry, lemon and plum symbols followed. A small problem surfaced with the anti-gambling laws but operators were able to evade the law by paying out in prizes such as food and candy.

The slot history timetable saw the next big advancement in the 1960’s with Bally’s creation of a electromechanical game called Money Honey. This was the first slot machine with a bottomless hopper and an automatic payout. The new technology from Bally also allowed players to start and stop the reels with buttons instead of the original one-armed bandit method.

The final evolution in slot history occurred in the mid-1990’s when the first video slot machine was introduced. This paved the way to a more complex and multi-dimensional slot game that included more bonuses, diverse winning combinations and better graphics. As a whole, the gaming industry took a big step during this time due to new technological possibilities. Internet accessibility leaves us in the current chapter of online slots history. The present form of slots hasn’t strayed that far away from Frey’s original design, but as long as technology continues to improve, slots history will continue to be written.