Slot Machine History
Fey, a resident of California, devised a rather simple mechanism. It was a machine featuring three spinning wheels with a total of five different symbols on them: diamonds, hearts, horseshoes, spades and a Liberty Bell. The simplicity of the slot machine's mechanism allowed its creator to design an effective automatic payout mechanism. A combination of three bells offered players the biggest payoff of all, ten nickels. The machine, which was dubbed Liberty Bell, enjoyed tremendous success and soon many public establishments had at at least one such gaming machine. In 1907, Fey partnered up with the Mills Novelty Company and upgraded his by-then famous slot machine. The Mills Liberty Bell slot machine was introduced to the general public. The new slots featured a cast iron case.. In 1910, the Mills Novelty Company created the Operator Bell slot machine which was slightly different from the Liberty Bell. The Operator Bell boasted a gooseneck coin slot and its wheels featured fruit symbols. This was the last slot machine ever to have a cast iron case. In 1915, the Mills Novelty Company introduced gaming machines with wood cabinets putting an end to the cast iron slots. Throughout the 1930's the company developed machines which were referred to as "silent bell" because they were relatively quieter than their predecessors. The new machines featured double jackpots to present players with double chances of winning. Slots manufactured at that time were designed to sport a certain theme, such as the Lion Head, War Eagle and and Castle Front. Slots gained even further popularity during the 40's when prominent businessman Bugsy Siegel installed a wide variety of the gaming devices in his Flamingo Hilton Hotel, for the enjoyment of female companions of his high-roller patrons. A lot has changed since then. Nowadays, most slot machines are electronic and computerized. Today's slot machines use preprogrammed random number generators that manipulate winning combinations. The vast majority of the machines found in the modern slots parlors no longer accept coins. With the invention of the Internet, slot machines have become available to all players around the globe. Some suggest that Fey would not have found any resemblance between his original slot machine and the ones offered today. |
Compared to other forms of gambling, such as poker, slot machines are relatively new to us and, therefore, there is no mystery surrounding their origin. The earliest slot machine prototypes were available to gaming fans as early as 1870. It was Charles Fey who developed in 1887 the first slot machines as we know them today. Although Fey was not the first one to introduce the slots play concept, the gaming history will forever remember him as the Father of Slots.