Slotting Through the History of Slots
In the late 1800's, two New Yorkers named Pitt and Sittman created five drum-like containers that held five poker hand cards. This was the beginning of the history of slots. It had no refunding feature, so the buyers of the machine paid in other ways; sometimes they paid by giving free drinks.
Charles Fey was also a well-known figure in the history of slots. He created the Liberty Bell in his own home. Slot machines weren't really all that popular until they were brought to the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas.
Charles Fey's machine is differs heavily from the machines made nowadays. Fey's machine was over 100 lbs., made of iron, and didn't have the iconic fruit images famous today. It had different symbols, mainly horseshoes, stars and card suits. Fey's machine, the Liberty Bell, gave back 50 cents as prizes to the winners. That amount of money was very expensive in those days. Fey's grandchildren honor his prestige in the history of slots by maintaining the Liberty Bell machine he first designed in their family establishment.
Fey also created the Operator Bell. This slot machine includes the fruit symbols. The Operator Bell became the customary design still used today. This machine altered the history of slots. When slot machine protests began to rise, Fey created slots that had similar features to vending machines. In 1911, gambling protests initiated the banning of slot machines in California. This was a bad time in the history of slots.
Siegel, nicknamed "Bugsy," was an infamous crime leader who was also an important individual in the history of slots. Siegel was the one who constructed the famed Flamingo Hilton. This building can be found at what we now call the Vegas strip. Siegel bought a large number of slot machines to fill up his casino. He bought these machines mainly to target the female audience.
The slots progressed in the early sixties because of the invention of the electronic slot machines. This innovation made sure that the slots were more secure and popular. Many varieties of slot machines sprouted during this time.
The seventies were also an innovatory time in the history of slots. Casinos started to use microchips and number generators for the reels. Levers became old and were no longer used. In the eighties, microchips became customary, and profits boomed higher for the slots.
Nowadays, slot machines can be found everywhere, anytime through the internet. The history of slots is certainly as diverse and colorful as the variety of slot machines we can see today. And it all just adds to the allure of one the most iconic gambling machines ever made.