Slots History

The history of slots isn't a long one but it is a fascinating one that spans from a basement to a bar, from a state to a world wide obsession. Unlike other games that we’re not quite sure how, when and where they developed, with slot machine history we know exactly where the invention that would become Las Vegas slots and Online slot machines began. Charles Frey immigrated to America from Eastern Europe at the dawn of the twentieth century and with background knowledge of machinery he set about developing a new kind of game; an automated game based on chance. His first machines weighed 110 pounds, and consisted of 3 reels that would spin when the handle was pulled – not so different to the Las Vegas Slots of today.

For the first few years of slots history, the slot machine was to be found in bars around the San Francisco bay area; the bar owners would split the winnings with Frey, and would pay out wins with drinks, and eventually trinkets. These early slots were known as liberty bell slot machines due to the liberty bell being the jackpot symbol. It wasn't long however before these Liberty Bell Slot Machines caught the attention of a large company, and the Operation Bell Slot Machine was developed and mass produced allowing for much wider slots play and it's growth to incredible popularity; that was until the growth of slots faced an unexpected ban in California and Nevada - thankfully this was a glitch only, and recovery soon came.

When the Flamingo Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas was built by Bugsy Siegal, slots play underwent a renaissance. Banks of Las Vegas slot machines were bough in, primarily for entertaining the wives and girlfriends whilst the men gambled at the tables, but by the time the 1960s came around, the history of slots had turned into very much a success story. As the decades progressed and the machines switched from mechanical to electronic and eventually to digital, slots play was fast becoming one of the most popular gambling activities on the planet.

Even with the growth of slots popularity as it was, no body could have predicted the explosion it would experience with the internet revolution. In the mid 1990s gambling changed forever, and never more so than for slot machines. Today, the average casino revenue is made up more from the slots than from anything else, and online slot machines will usually be the best represented games at any online casino. Charles Frey's game is very much still in existence, except for now you can choose your denomination, from 1c up to several dollars, how many coins, and even how many paylines to play for each spin.





Auction Portal