The history of slot games began more than a century ago, yet the main premise of them has remained since day one. It started as a few simple mechanical reels with a handful of symbols. But soon, it developed into a huge range of online games featuring exciting new features.
Nowadays, you’ll find branded themes, 3D animations, bonus features, Free Spins, cascading reels, and other innovations at the core of modern slots. But how exactly did we get to this point? We’re going to go through it all. From poker machines and the first official Liberty Bell slot game to the newest titles from your current favourite providers.
1891: Sittman and Pitt’s First Poker Gambling Machine
The story of slot machines starts with mechanical gambling machines. These appeared before the familiar reel machines that we’re familiar with today.
Sittman and Pitt were two ambitious men from New York who developed the first-ever poker machine. This gambling machine worked with five mechanical drums. Players would pull a lever to spin the drums, randomising the cards from a deck. These cards would form a random poker hand in a single line, kind of like slot machine reels.
These machines didn’t have automatic payouts, so players would have to go to an attendant to claim their prize. Prize values also depended on the establishment they were used in. While they aren’t technically considered the first slot machine, they did introduce some ideas that would form the basis of slots today. Spinning reels, symbols, and winning combinations.
1894–1898: Charles August Fey and the Liberty Bell
In the late 1890s in San Francisco, things take a turn toward what many consider to be the first recognisable slot machine. Charles August Fey created the first official slot machine called the Liberty Bell. It featured three mechanical reels and a single payline. It also included a few recognisable symbols, like the bell, horseshoes, diamonds, and card suits.
The Liberty Bell slot machine introduced an automatic payout system that gave a player coins for winning combinations. Plus, the single payline, three-reel layout would go on to influence generations of slot machines to come. Even today, many modern slot games still use a similar layout and style to create that sense of nostalgia.
1900s–1960s: The Era of Fruit Machines
Ever wondered why fruit symbols became so popular in slot machines? Well, they were created to combat legal restrictions on gambling, where cash payouts weren’t allowed in some places.
Providers decided that fruit symbols could be used to represent different flavours, and instead of a cash payout? Machines would dispense gum or sweets for winning combinations. Get three cherry symbols? You’ll get some cherry-flavoured gum.
This era of machines also introduced the BAR symbol. Even as restriction laws started to relax over the years, those classic fruit and BAR symbols stuck and became an instantly recognisable feature of slot machines.
1960s: Introduction of Electromechanical Slots
For many years, slot machines were mechanical, featuring that familiar old-school lever that spun the reels. As time moved on, slot machines introduced electric components. One of the milestone games was Bally’s Money Honey, which debuted in 1963.
This slot game still featured similar reels and the lever but has additional electromechanical components that allowed it to do a lot more. It could automatically pay out larger numbers of coins, introduced more immersive and fun lights and sound, and even had multi-coin play.
The introduction of electricity to slot machines meant that manufacturers weren’t limited by gears and springs the same way purely mechanical slots were. They could now be a little more interactive and visually appealing. Plus, electromechanical slots set the foundation for electronic and digital slot games that would come later.
1970s: The First Video Slots
The next major leap game with the introduction of video slots, which revolutionised the way providers created and displayed their slot games. Fortune Coin was one of the first video slots developed in 1976, introducing a modified TV screen to display the reels, rather than physical wheels spinning inside a machine cabinet.
Providers began to realise that physical reels were limited. After all, there’s only so much artwork or features you can add to a mechanical slot. With a screen, those restrictions are removed. Providers could find so many new ways to create themes for their games, adding more detailed graphics, sounds, and animations. This would eventually give way to Greek mythology themes, magical fantasy slots, games based on goddesses and heroines, and so much more.
1980s: Progressive Jackpots Get Bigger
Now that computers made it possible to use virtual reels and link machines together, there was a massive shift in the way progressive jackpots worked.
A company called IGT licensed a new technology developed by Inge Telnaes in 1984, which used a computer program and random number generation (RNG). In turn, game developers could create games that had more possible combinations and larger jackpots.
And then came Megabucks, a slot game launched in 1986 by IGT that was one of the first wide-area progressive jackpot systems. Instead of the jackpot belonging to a single machine, connected machines could all contribute toward one larger prize pool. That meant massive new winning potential.
1990s: Slots Games Move Online
This era was one of the largest changes, because the internet allowed slot games to move online. The fact that players no longer needed to be in a physical casino meant that games were more easily accessible now and available to a wider audience.
The first online slots were introduced in the 1990s. Early digital slots were a bit simpler in terms of features compared to what we have now, but they still opened the door for more elaborate games. More detailed themes, multiple paylines, bonus rounds, and some more creative gameplay mechanics would begin to show up across the online gaming space.
2000s–Present: The Modern Era
That brings us to the era of slot machines we know and love today, which are now even more accessible through mobile devices.
This is the era where new mechanics really started to shine. Modern games include countless features, including Free Spins, Wilds, cascading reels, and expanding grids, just to name a few. Pay systems don’t just focus on traditional paylines anymore but incorporate Cluster Pays and Scatter Symbols to determine your winnings. Reel layouts can be anywhere from a single line with three reels to pyramid-style grids.
Providers like 3 Oaks Gaming, Hacksaw Gaming, and Pragmatic Play have started to create their own new mechanics, too. The Megaways mechanic is probably one of the most notable ones, as it opened the door to thousands of different ways to win in a single game.
But those features are just scratching the surface.
See What’s Next for Slot Games on playTSOGO
What exactly is next for slot games? Game developers now have access to plenty of new technologies and can continue to experiment with layouts, mechanics, themes, interactive features, and more. There’s no knowing how slots will continue to evolve.
Whatever developments come next, you can always explore new slot games with playTSOGO, while still enjoying your current favourites. Simply log in to your account or register today to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
When was the first slot machine invented?
The first slot machine is often attributed to the Liberty Bell created by Charles August Fey in the late 1890s.
Can you still play classic-style slot games?
Absolutely! Many modern slot games have been created to simulate that classic experience, featuring a single payline, three reels, fruit symbols, and straightforward play. You can find hundreds of games like this on playTSOGO from providers like Amusnet, EGT Digital, Playtech, Pragmatic Play, and more.
Why do slot games use fruit symbols?
Fruit symbols became popular in earlier slot machines during a period of history when there were a lot of legal restrictions on gambling. Providers realised that they could get around these restrictions by offering gum and other sweets as payout, rather than money. So, fruit symbols were used to represent the flavour you’d get. For example, three cherry symbols might award you cherry-flavoured gum. Fruit symbols just seemed to stick from that point on.
Are online slot games fair and random?
Yes, they are completely fair and completely random. Online slot games use RNG systems to determine the outcome of each individual spin. So, the result of a spin doesn’t impact the result of the next. Online casino companies like playTSOGO make sure to conduct independent testing of each game to make sure the payout systems and RNG are working as intended.
