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The History of Slot Machines
Slot machines, unlike other casino games, have a fairly short history which can be divided into three eras: the mechanical era, the electromechanical era and the computerized era.
The rise of the slot machines can be credited to Charles Fey, who created the first popular and widely-used slot machines. Although Fey didn't invent the slot machine, he earned eternal recognition as the Father of the Slot Machine.
A German who immigrated to the United States, Fey moved from New Jersey to California when he was in his twenties. He was struck with a life-threatening sickness and was given only a year to live, but he overcame the odds and went on to develop his famous slot machines.
Fey developed his first slot machines in 1894, when he was in his early 30's. His prototype machines were mechanical devices that display cards rather than the fruits and other symbols that can be seen in modern slot machines. Fey's machines were considered the forerunner of today's slot machines. In fact, today's slot machines still ring a bell every time a slot player wins, just like Fey's device, although the slot machine has greatly evolved through the years.
Fey's Liberty Bell slot machine is probably his best-known invention. This slot machine has three reels with ten symbols each, with a 1-in-1000 chance of hitting the jackpot when three same symbols line up. Fey literally dominated the slots industry during the mechanical era, renting out his machines on a 50% basis.
The mid-20th century saw the introduction of the Super Big Bertha and its predecessor, Big Bertha. A power-hungry machine, Super Big Bertha had eight reels with 20 symbols each and used a five horsepower motor. This monstrous machine, however, also has huge odds of winning the jackpot (1-in-25 billion), offering only an 80% payback rate.
The invention of the computer and its widespread use led to the development of modern, computerized slot machines. Today's slot machines are actually computers inside a cabinet, with microprocessors generating random numbers which determine whether you win or not. More and more slot machines no longer accept coins.
The slot machine has also jumped to the virtual world of the Internet, making slots readily and easily available to anyone without physically going to the casino. Whatever the future development and evolution of the slot machine, die-hard slot players will always be grateful to Charles Fey for his immortal contributions to the gambling industry.
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