History of Slots

Slot machines got their beginnings in the U.S. with their San Francisco, Calif., invention by Charles Fey.
Though some dispute the exact year the machines were invented, two years stand out: most agree it
was in 1887, while some believe he produced the idea in 1895. Fey developed the simple mechanism to
provide an automatic payout based upon matching the symbols on three spinning dials. The symbols on
Fey’s machine were horseshoes, diamonds, hearts, bells, and spades, and it was much simpler than
trying to pay out for the array of possibilities had it been based upon poker.

Fey was not able to keep up with the demand for his Liberty Bell slot machines, and it was copied by
many manufacturers, including Herbert Mills of Chicago, who developed the Operator Bell slot machine.
These “bell” machines were placed in several cigar stores, brothels, barber shops, and saloons and
became incredibly popular.

The levers on the side of these early machines and those that followed earned slot the name “one-
armed bandit.” The lever was the reason for arm portion of the nickname, and they were called bandits
because of their ability to take a player’s money.

311 slot machines, a more complicated machine, was developed in Brooklyn, N.Y., by Sittman and Pitt in
1891. With five drums inside, the machine held 50 card faces and used the rules of poker to win. These
machines had the familiar arm at the side that players would pull to spin the drums. These machines,
unlike Fey’s design did not have a direct payout. Instead, a good “hand” might win the player a free beer
or some other prize on offer at the establishment.

Other designs would instead award chewing gum, with its flavor based upon pictures of the fruit on the
wheels inside. This is where the now-familiar cherry and melon come from on modern machines, and
the BAR symbol came from an early design of the Bell-Fruit Gum Company’s logo. Games like this or
those that gave away food instead allowed the businesses to keep the games without violating various
state laws against gambling.

It was not until 1963 that the slot machine became fully electromechanical with Bally’s Money Honey,
though previous designs had elements of the design as far back as 1940. This was the first machine that
had a bottomless hopper and automatic payout that allowed a high number of coins, as much as 500,
without the need of an attendant. This machine and those like it became the predominant type of slot
machine. These developments also made the familiar arm at the side something that existed for looks
and tradition rather than an actual need for the pull-down motion to spin the dials inside.

299 slot machine Video slot machines came along in 1976. Developed in a Kearney Mesa, Calif.,
industrial suite by Kearney Mesa by R. Greene, W. Beckman, N. Cerracchio, L. Black and J. Reukes for
Fortune Coin Co., Las Vegas, N.V. The machine used a 19-inch Sony Trinitron color receiver that had
been modified for its display.

The computer components were made up of logic boards, which handled the slot machine functions.
Now, games were also being made to simulate table games like Blackjack and the extremely popular
Roulette.
The Nevada State Gaming Commission would not approve the machines without a few modifications to
make the machine more “cheat-proof.” It quickly gained popularity on the Las Vegas “Strip” and the
other casinos downtown. International Gaming Technology purchased Fortune Coin Co. in 1978.

As an added incentive for gamblers, American video slot machines began to offer a bonus round in 1996
with Reel ’Em In, which was developed by WMS Industries Inc. Australian machines had featured this
second screen for a few years prior. The bonus has an additional payout possible for players.

The future of slot machines will progress as technology allows, with new options to win and ways to
entice gamblers to keep playing. Already, the machines allow for more potential matches, themes, and
graphics that early developers could never have even imagined.