The inventor of the slot machine was Charles Fey and it is thought that he invented this machine in 1887 while others say 1895, but whenever it was, this machine has succeeded in revolutionising casino games. Charles Fey was born in Bavaria and when he was 14 he began working to help support the family. He was fearful that he would be drafted into the German army and so he went to work in France as an instrument maker. When he was 23 he decided to go over to the US and began working at Electric Works. It was here that together with a co-worker they invented the slot machine.

The Liberty Bell

The first slot machine had 3 reels with the traditional symbols, diamonds, hearts, spades, horseshoes and the Liberty Bell. Fey’s machine was named Liberty Bell. The Liberty Bell symbol was the highest paying combination on the slot machine and the fact that it paid out automatically made it a popular machine. The Liberty Bell became so popular that soon other developers were trying to copy it. These slot machines soon became known as one armed bandits and the popularity increased. A few years later the Liberty Bell was made illegal in California, but this did not slow down the demand for the slot machine.

During this time there were also laws which made it difficult for Fey to get his new creation patented and so he began renting them out to various places such as pubs, barber shops, saloons, bowling alleys and even cigar stores. As with all things there were players who figured out ways to cheat the machine and used fake coins. Fey remedied this by creating a detecting pin which could tell the difference between the real and the fake coins. The original Liberty Bell machine is in a museum in Reno.

The Later Years

During the 1960s, long before we could play online blackjack for real money, electric slot machines were launched and after that the dollar slot machine was introduced. Later the Video Poker slot machine was developed by SIRCOMA during the 1980s. Different types of video slots were developed with features such as multiple paylines, the use of different denominations and much more variety. Later slots were introduced that had multiple games and bonus features.

Online Slots

When slots went online all of these new features were added and slots became a very popular casino game all around the world. Software developers began creating versions that could be played online and players would not have to go to a casino to play. These online slots could be played any time of the day or night and included much more variety. From classic slots to slots with many reels and different paylines, progressive jackpots and even slots with story lines and different themes.

Slots have become more advanced with excellent graphics and sound effects as well as animations and many even feature scenes and characters from our favorite movies. Slots are also fair and random thanks to the random number generator which ensures that each spin is truly random. Casino sites have also made sure that their sites are safe and secure and that all financial and personal information is kept safe. There are also special bonuses and rewards for slot games as well as big jackpots and tournaments that players can take part in.

Slots have come a long way since its beginnings and have grown into an industry that continues to grow and change as new games are developed and improved to keep their fans happy.