The History of Gambling Machines

Casino gambling machines have come a long way since their invention at the end of the 19th century, transitioning from toys that dispensed gum into sophisticated video machines that now dominate both casinos and online gaming sites.

Sittman and Pitt Company in Brooklyn, New York created the first modern slot machine in 1891 based on poker using five drums with fifty card faces each.

Origins

Sittman and Pitt of Brooklyn, New York created an early form of the slot machine in 1891. This five-drum device held 50 card faces in poker format; patrons would often play it in bars where proprietors determined prizes such as free beer for pairing kings or cigars for achieving a royal flush. This machine did not dispensing actual money but did popularly draw in customers.

Fey’s next innovation was the Liberty Bell slot machine, featuring horseshoes and bells on its reels as well as various fruit symbols. It was the first three-reel machine that paid out cash automatically and also included a bonus round on a separate screen – both significant advances which did not catch on among gamblers at first.

Development

Gambling machines have an intriguing history. At first, these devices weren’t meant for gambling – instead they provided entertainment at bars and saloons.

The first machines that resembled what we now refer to as slot machines were novelty devices that featured toys such as toy horses racing on small tracks and encouraged wagers among patrons. One of the earliest such machines was created by Sittman and Pitt, using poker symbols with payouts dependent on what poker hands could be formed.

Fey’s Liberty Bell machine introduced automated payouts and an easy game layout, and his competitors continued to perfect this concept by including gum dispensing machines or using fruit symbols instead of poker-themed icons in their machines.

Symbols

Gambling machines feature various symbols on their reels. These include card symbols in three suits (diamonds, spades and hearts) as well as traditional lucky signs – like horseshoes. Furthermore, lucky number seven often appears.

Charles Fey invented the first mechanical slot machine in late 19th-century America: Liberty Bell. The machine featured rotating reels featuring playing cards with cracked Liberty Bell symbols on each one; three such images paid out 50 cents at bars as a popular jackpot payout.

Early 1900s manufacturers employed slot machines developed by Industry Novelty Company featuring fruit symbols to avoid gambling laws. The bar symbol on these machines was inspired by Bell Fruit Gum Company logo, who provided gum rewards instead of money rewards in order to circumvent gambling restrictions.

Payouts

Gambling machines, also known as slot machines, are coin-operated mechanical games that dispense prizes based on the outcome of spinning their reels. Their symbols may include stars, card suits, bars and fruits like cherries or watermelons.

Early gambling machines were found in saloons and similar establishments where patrons could wager against each other. As these machines paid out drinks or cigars instead of cash, strategies had to be devised in order to circumvent laws prohibiting their operation.

Charles Fey invented the first automatic payout machine in 1890. His machine featured three spinning reels with hearts, diamonds and spades as well as an image of a cracked Liberty Bell painted onto them – quickly becoming immensely popular across American saloons.

Online casinos

Since their invention 120 years ago, slot machines have quickly become an iconic component of casinos worldwide. Their appeal lies primarily in their lucrative payouts and user-friendly interfaces; furthermore they account for a considerable portion of revenues as well as taking up valuable floor space.

Charles Fey, a car mechanic from San Francisco, invented the first gambling machine with an automatic payout in 1890. His machine used three spinning reels with symbols like hearts, diamonds, spades and the Liberty Bell which would award players with coins when they hit winning combinations.

Fey’s machines quickly gained immense popularity during prohibition when they were operated in speakeasies and private clubs. Unfortunately, morality and religion frequently opposed their production and operation which resulted in growing restrictions being placed upon them that Fey and his competitors found ways around quickly.