History of Slots
What is a slot machine?
Slot machines (slots for short) are mechanical machines for playing gambling games. There is a wide variety of slot machines. Many slot machines incorporate spinning drums around which are arranged symbols — often bells, melons, cherries, oranges and lemons. The object of the game is to line up symbols that correspond to a payout chart. There is a hierarchy of symbols that is printed onto the machine. There is also a huge variety of electronic slot machines. Some games resemble table games like poker, jackpot and roulette. The slots are played using coins, tokens or smart cards. Smart cards can be loaded up with credits from the cashpoint.
The history of slot machines
In 1899, Charles Fey invented the Liberty Bell, the first slot machine. To circumvent laws banning slot machines they started selling chewing gum so they could be classified as vending machines. The chewing gum was fruit flavoured, which resulted in fruit symbols being used and in the use of the name ‘fruit machine’. The bell symbol comes from the original Liberty Bell machine.
Slot machines spread across the USA. In the 1950s federal legislation was introduced that restricted their use. Las Vegas introduced slot machines as an amusement for the wives and girlfriends of high rollers. By the 1980s slot machines were as popular as table games and by the 1990s had become more popular.
Types of slot machine
Slot machines can be divided up into flat tops, progressives and video poker machines. Flat top slots have set payouts. There will be a table of payouts for various combinations of symbols. Progressives have jackpot payouts that increase as more money is bet. Several machines may be linked together to give a giant jackpot that can be equivalent to a lottery win.
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September 13, 2010 12:31 pm