Through the years, slot machines have become increasingly popular, allowing players to enjoy hours of fun whilst having the chance to win cash prizes at the exact same time. From the historical ‘One-Armed Bandit’ to the video slots that occupy a sizable section of many online casinos today, these games have witnessed a surge in popularity across the globe.

The following post shall discuss the history of these machines and their progression from land-based games to internet gaming sensations.

The very first slot machine as we might know it today may be traced back to around 1891. Referred to as the ‘One-Armed Bandit’, this slot was invented in New York by Sittman and Pitt. With five drums acting as reels as well as a lever on the side to set them off, it had 50 card symbols to land. As is the case with modern fruit machine slots, they were frequently used in bars nationwide.

Not long after the invention of the ‘One-Armed Bandit’, the first automatic slot was invented by a man called Charles Fey in California, in 1895. With just three reels, this slot was widely regarded as running on a much simpler mechanism and only had five reel symbols.

Named the Liberty Bell, this first automatic slot may very well be seen as an influencer for some modern video slots today that still use three reels and also a minimal amount of symbols.

Fruit symbols have long been associated with slots and this perhaps stems from 1907 as well as the invention of Herbert Mills’s slot machine. Called the Operator Bell, Herbert Mills created it to rival that of Charles Fey.

In spite of the evolution of slot machines and reel symbols being comprised of anything, many video slots still choose to use classic fruit symbols. The likes of Double Bubble, among the most popular video slots around, draws on classic features and symbols while still providing players with a modern spinning experience.

In 1963, Bally Manufacturing managed to produce a slot with no side-mounted lever. As the very first electromechanical slot machine, it could reward coins automatically without an attendant to help. Called Money Honey, this slot machine paved the way for electronic games of the future.

Although Bally Manufacturing managed to bring electronic functionality to the slots scene around 13 years earlier, the first real video slots were invented in the mid-70s in California. Fortune Coin Co developed video slot technology in 1976, mounting a display on a slot machine cabinet and gaining approval from the Nevada State Gaming Commission.

The video slots we know today and their place in gaming can be traced back to the 1990s and also the launch of the very first trusted online gambling site casinos. In 1994, the first online casino launched featuring an assortment of video slots to play.

You’ll find currently hundreds of online casinos at which to play thousands of video slots. They are provided by a number of software suppliers and appear to span across all types of categories and genres.

The chances to win huge cash sums are ever-present, more so with the introduction of progressive slots. With these games, some are linked up to wider networks, allowing prize funds to grow at a rapid rate and regularly reaching the millions.