Slots History

Charles Fey dominated this era thanks to his introduction of the three-reel slot machine. His most famous creation is probably the cast-iron Liberty Bell slot. Each of three reels had ten symbols on them. To win the jackpot you had to three of the same symbols on the pay line. This gave the players a one in one-thousand chance of winning the jackpot. Fey placed his slot machines on a 50% rental basis.

Slot Machine History Second Era - Electromechanical Slots

The electromechanical era dominated the mid-twentieth century – are rather dull period when it came to slot machines. The highlight of this period was the release of Big Bertha, who was soon upstaged by her big sister, Super Big Bertha. This super slot cost more than $150,000 to make, was powered by a five-horsepower motor, and had 8 reels with 20 symbols on each one. Super Big Bertha certainly was a spectacular machine, but it wasn’t very advantageous for the players. It only paid back 80% to the players, and the chance of winning the jackpot was 1 in 25.6 billion.

History of Slots, Third Era – Computerized Slots

Today the slots are computerized, relying on pre-programmed random number generators that produced numbers corresponding to patterns of symbols on the reels. Slots are today regular features in online casinos, and the game is quickly moving into the coinless era. The modern slots have little in common with Charles Fey’s original machine technologically, but when it comes to design and playing feeling the resemblance is undoubtedly there.

Slots History article courtesy of PokerListings.com