The Brief History Of Slots

In contrast to the classic casino games and card games in poker style, the history of video slots is quite short. The predecessors of these machines with barrels appeared in 1870.

Then Charles Fey invented his first game machine in 1894. No wonder the man is considered to be the “father of the slots”. This first model withstood the test of time and it can be seen in the today’s gambling halls. Initially, there were pictures of playing cards on the barrels, later they were replaced by pictures of fruits. But in case of winning the bell always rings, as it was more than a hundred years ago.

The history of slots can be divided into three periods.

The first period – mechanical slot machines

Charles Fey was the king of this period due to the invention of the slot machine with three barrels. The most famous of the machines at that time was the iron slot machine called the Liberty Bell.

At each of the three wheels ten characters were pictured. If player had the same three symbols, he won the jackpot. The chance to get the jackpot was one to a thousand. The amount of payments of the invested money in Fey was equal to 50% percent.

When the ban on gambling was announced, slot machines underwent some changes in design. The figures of winnings were replaced by pictures of packs of chewing gum, and different tastes were pictured in the form of the corresponding fruits.

Simultaneously with the growing popularity of slot-machines grew the jackpots. To increase winnings additional barrels were installed. As a result slot machines became all bigger and bigger, and their internal structure constantly changed.

The second period – electro – mechanical devices.

The second period of the development of slot machines – a fairly calm – was in the middle of the twentieth century. The most striking event of this period was the release of Big Bertha. However, it was soon eclipsed by an even more stunning novelty of this time – Super Big Bertha.

The creation of this super slot cost more than $150,000 US dollars. He had a motor with a capacity of five horsepowers and 8 barrels with 20 game symbols on each. Super Big Bertha was undoubtedly an impressive machine, but, unfortunately, very rarely gave out winnings. The sum of payments was only 80% of the invested money, and the chance to win a jackpot of this slot was only 1 against 25.6 million!

The invention of the random number generator in 1984 by the engineer Inge Тelnaess completely changed the direction of the slot machines and their role in the casino halls around the world. The random number generator converts the weak physical phenomena in the digital definitions that is numbers. The device uses a programmable algorithm, constantly sorting out figures. When the player presses the button, the device selects a random number required for the game.

The third period is computerized slot machines.

Modern slot machines are computerized. The program of the game is determined by the generators of random numbers (RNG), which give the numbers corresponding to the symbols on the barrels. The video slots are an integral part of the online casino, and in the game coins are used less. Technically, the fashionable slots have little in common with their predecessors, but the design and the spirit of devices of Fey’s times are clearly presented in the new slot machines.