The first gambling machines back in the 1880s were no more than barroom curiosities. Imagine a small contraption with two toy horses that you’d drop a coin into and they raced. They really weren’t gambling machines that would meet today’s gaming standards. But they still served their basic purpose of being able to attract punters in with friendly bets among patrons, and prizes from the bar, usually offerings of free drinks or cigars.
It wasn’t until 1888 that the first machines to actually pay out coins came along. These early models worked with a balance scale inside. If you were lucky, your coin would tip the scale and send a small pile of coins tumbling into the payout tray. It wasn’t flashy, but hey, it was a start.
Enter Charles August Fey
Along came the real game-changer: Charles August Fey, a Bavarian immigrant who was working as a mechanic in San Francisco. In 1894, Fey built his first coin-operated gambling machine, and just a year later, he created the “4-11-44.” This machine became so hot at a local saloon that Fey quit his day job to manufacture more of them.
In 1898, he introduced the Card Bell, the first slot machine with three reels and an automatic payout system. The following year, he created the Liberty Bell, which is considered the first modern slot machine. This beauty featured symbols like horseshoes, bells, and card suits, symbols you can still find today in slots games online. If you lined up three bells, you hit the jackpot. The Liberty Bell was a hit, and Fey couldn’t make them fast enough. Unfortunately, most of these machines were lost in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, but a few survived and are now museum pieces.
From Bars to Ban
By the early 1900s, slot machines were popping up in saloons and bars all over San Francisco. There were about 3,300 of them in the city by 1909. But, of course, anything fun tends to attract critics. Moral crusaders and the clergy were not fans of gambling, and San Francisco eventually banned slot machines altogether.
Fey and his competitors weren’t about to give up, though. They got sneaky. Machines were redesigned to avoid the coin-slot ban, and payouts were handled over the counter. Drinks, cigars, or trade tokens were handed out as prizes, keeping the slot machine dream alive.
The Fruit Symbols We Know Today
In 1909, the Industry Novelty Company came up with a clever workaround for gambling laws. They started marketing their machines as chewing gum dispensers, replacing the card suit symbols with fruit. Cherries, lemons, plums, and watermelons became the new standard, and some machines even dispensed actual gum. The Mills Novelty Company later added the iconic “bar” symbol, which was originally a picture of a gum pack.
Into the Modern Era
The slot machines went on to develop further, especially after the Second World War. In the 1950s, electromechanical machines would appear, which provided new features such as multi-coin payouts. They could now put in up to five coins for bigger wins, which was received with a large welcome.
Later, in the 1970s, another revolution came along with the introduction of video slot machines. These machines emulated spinning reels on a screen, really laying the foundation for online slots as we know them today. In the 1980s, electronic systems linked machines together, creating massive progressive jackpots. One such jackpot in 2003 paid out almost $40 million in Las Vegas, what a life-changer.
Today, casinos everywhere host their share of one-armed bandits. Incredible to think that a device invented over 120 years ago is still spinning strong.