When I hear the term “Slot Machines” my eyes tend to glaze over as I recall the opulent, fashionable themes of the casinos in Las Vegas. It’s like stepping into another world with the choice being yours as there are so many now.
First – a bit of history. [1] Charles Fey of San Francisco, CA is credited with the invention of the slot machine. It is MEGAGAME believed that his first envision of the machine was in 1895 but it was not until 1897 he produced his first prototype. It has only 3 reels and they displayed a combination of five symbols – horseshoes, diamonds, spades, hearts and a Liberty Bell and the payout was determined by which symbols were revealed in a row on the machine. The “Liberty Bell” as it was called was enormously popular and therefor copied by a number of manufacturers. This new form of entertainment was given a number of creative names. It was referred to as a “slot machine” in America, a “fruit machine” in Britain, “the slots” in English Canada and “pokies” in English Australia and New Zealand. The “One Armed Bandit” was a popular phrase used as well since the originals machines operated by pulling a lever on the side of the machine and very often relieved the hapless get-rich-quick player of all of his hard earned money.
By 1908 many cigar stores, saloons, brothels and barber stores had installed them for their customers entertainment.