Slot machines have been around for over 100 years, but they’re almost nothing like they were 100 years ago. The first slot contained a 5-drum machine with 50 playing cards for symbols. These slot machines couldn’t pay out directly, and the owners of these machines could easily remove symbols (obviously changing the odds drastically). This early version of a slot machine game was a failure. Buy how times have changed since then. Now you are able to play online slot machines for free or real money, and the graphics on today’s games are incredible.
How Slot Machines Used to Work
In 1891, Charles Augustus Fey invented the first 3-reel mechanical spinning slot machine. The Liberty Bell slot machine was made of 100 pounds of cast iron. Unlike today’s slot machines, Fey’s slot game was completely mechanical. The mechanical machine consisted of reels, stoppers, kickers, a cam, notched discs, and of course a handle. All of these parts have been replaced by computer programs today.
The actual mechanism behind these early slot machines were actually simple machines using a basic pulley system.
These original slot machines gave away money and candy, and they were popular in bars. The bar symbols on today’s slot machines represent a chewing gum prize, and the fruit represented various flavors of candy. Continue reading