Slots and pokies are several of the oldest gambling games within the modern world. They saw their beginnings at the start of the 20th century, and also have attracted a vast audience ever since. Here is an overview of slot machine history and the way they have developed over time.

The very first ever version of the slot machine was seen in 1891. Pittman and Sachs created a machine with five drums, each showing poker hand symbols. When players would win at these games, the equipment wouldn’t pay out; rather, the bar housing them would provide players with drinks.

It will be four more years before Charles Fey would create the version of the slot machine with which we have been most acquainted today. The equipment provided players with cash payouts when it revealed matching symbols. The recognition of these games caught on quickly, until anti-gambling groups enacted a ban on slot machines in the early twentieth century.

The ban only lasted a number of years, and it was not long before slots became popular again in casinos. It was during the 1950s that slot machines started to become popular around the world. In 1953, Australian gaming company Aristocrat took note of the new trend and decided to manufacture its own brand of electronic gaming machines called pokies. The company’s first machine was called the ‘Clubman’.

Although it would be a long time before we would see online slots, casinos in Las Vegas started making electronic slot machines, moving away from the typical, mechanical slot gamble games that had become popular over time. These machines were safer than mechanical slots and made it harder for individuals to cheat casinos. During this time, electronic slots also saw the invention of the random number generator which made playing slots much more unpredictable.

Over the next few decades, slots would remain the exact same. It would not be until the turn of the Century that we begin seeing the creation of online slots. The very first online slots games were seen around 2001, in the event the first internet casinos went live. Companies like Microgaming got on the ground floor, creating several of the first online slot machines available to the general public.

For the past ten years, slots have become some of the most popular games at online casinos, as well as making up over 80% of land-based casino revenue. In the online world, players can find hundreds of distinct online slots games, many of which feature fun and inventive themes. Players also are able to find a wide range of branded and themed slots games, featuring innovative gaming technology.