History of slot games
The English term, “Slot machine” for slot machines was initially used for all types of vending machines and betting. It was not until the twentieth century that the term was used only for gaming machines. There are other names, including “Fruit machine” or “Fruit Machine”, used in Britain and “Bandid one hand.”
The first mechanical slot machine, also known in Spain as slots, was named “Liberty Bell” and was invented in 1895 by a car mechanic from San Francisco, named Charles Fey. The Liberty Bell had three reels: diamond, spade and heart, as well as the image of the Liberty Bell (Liberty Bell) with a slit in the middle. Three bells of freedom were the combination which gave a higher gain, a grand prize of fifty cents or ten American coins of 10 U.S. cents or nickels.
The original Liberty Bell machine can still be seen at the Liberty Belle Saloon & Restaurant in Reno, Nevada. The creator of this legendary machine, Charles Fey, invented also other gaming machines. These include: the Draw Poker, Three Spindle, and Klondike. In 1901, Mr. Fey had the idea to create a mechanism by which one could verify that a coin of 10 cents U.S. (or nickel) through a pin separating the legitimate from fake coins. Fey inventions, especially their machines were leased to bars and casinos with a fair division of profits, 50% for Fey and 50% for the casino.
However, neither Fey himself suspected that their machines would be so popular and so demanded that neither his small workshop, nor it would be sufficient to build them fast enough. When some large corporations play equipment tried to buy the rights to their machines, including the Liberty Bell, Charles Fey refused to sell. But big companies machinate “decided they were going to stay with his arms folded, and in 1907 Herbert Mills, of Chicago, began producing the Operator Bell, a slot designed to oust the Fey Liberty Bell. Mills was the first to print fruit symbols (lemons, plums and cherries) on their machines.
The way these machines work is that inside there are three central rings called reels. Each reel has symbols painted; a lever is raised to turn the reels. When the wheels stop and an identical symbol are aligned on the three reels, a prize or jackpot is awarded to the player. This is when the coins fall out of the vending machine.
