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Slot Machine Popularity
The casino floor is packed. Everyone is looking for the best game, equipped pockets full of cash and chips for making wagers. To which game will seventy percent of these casino customers head? The slot machines, of course. Slots are by far the most popular game in casinos today, which is no surprise considering their ease of use and hefty rewards.
But slots were by no means the first gambling games that people enjoyed. Table games like Baccarat, Roulette, and even Craps were around well before the slot machine made its appearance. In fact, it wasn't until the late 19th century that the first true slot machine, called the Liberty Bell, was invented.
The Beginnings of Slot Machine History
Yes, the Liberty Bell was the first true mechanical slot machine. It was invented in 1895 by Charles Fey, a car mechanic. He created the machine with three reels that were filled with different card symbols, like spades, hearts, and diamonds. On every reel, there was one image of a cracked liberty bell. If the person playing scored three bells in a row, he would win the jackpot - ten shiny nickels.
Although Fey was the inventor of the first real slot machine with automatic payback, there was a precursor to the Liberty Bell. In the early 1890's Pitt and Sittman created poker machines. These machines would play out poker hands automatically, and had no payback mechanism. When a player scored a winning hand, he would turn to the owner of the establishment (usually a bar or drugstore) who would give him his prize of a free drink or cigar.
The First Fruit Machines
When most people think of slots, they think of cherries, melons and other assorted fruit zipping by on three reels. After Charles Fey's Liberty Bell, slot machines became increasingly popular. One chewing gum company decided to capitalize on the trend, and they created the first three reel fruit machine. Instead of nickels, these slots paid out fruit flavored gum. The B-A-R symbol that many people are familiar with today came from the gum company's logo.
How Slot Machines Made it To Casinos
How did slot machines make their way from corner drugstores to Vegas casinos? When the first casinos were built in Vegas, the management was looking for a game to keep the girlfriends of their wealthy customers busy. Slot machines seemed like a great way to keep the women occupied. It didn't take long for the slot machine craze to catch on. Now, many serious gamblers take a trip to Vegas just to play the slots.
Slot Machines Today
Over time, slot machines have changed a lot. One of the biggest developments was the invention of video slots. When slots became fully electric, they became more difficult to cheat and to take advantage of.
Now, when you walk onto a casino floor, you can find hundreds of different types of slot machines, some with bonus games and multiple paylines, others with huge progressive jackpots. And there are many fun and innovative slot games available online as well. Slots have become the most popular casino game in the world. Not bad for car mechanic, Charles Fey.
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