A Brief History of Slot Machines

The first slot machine was invented in the 1890’s. Charles Augustus Fey, a German immigrant living in San Francisco, developed a three reel machine which became the first ‘one armed bandit’. Each reel had five symbols: spades, horseshoes, hearts, diamonds and a cracked Liberty Bell. A row of three Liberty Bells gave the largest payout of ten nickels.

Slot machines grew in popularity, but Fey could not keep up with demand, leaving room for other firms to develop and sell slot machines. Many firms emulated Fey’s design. One different machine was the Trade Simulator, which paid sweets and gum rather than cash, and used fruit symbols on the reels representing the sweet flavours.

Over the years slot machines designs have evolved. In 1963 Bally developed the Money Honey: the first fully electrical slot machine. The first true video slot machine was unveiled in Las Vegas, in 1976, only going on general sale after being modified to prevent cheating, and today virtual machines exist on the internet.