The first slot machine was
invented in the year 1895 by
a man named Charles Fey.
Ever since that point in
time, slot machines have
grown to become arguably the
most popular casino game in
the world. They are
certainly one of the biggest
earning casino games and
fill the floors of most land
casinos. Slot machines
roughly generate over 80% of
a land casinos total income.
Slot machines have earned
the nickname one-armed
bandits because early models
were operated by use of a
lever. It's only the more
recent slot machines that
operate by the use of
buttons and sophisticated
electronics. The reference
to bandits comes from the
ability of slot machines to
leave a player broke and
penniless.
Electromechanical slot
machines began to emerge in
the 1960s. These slot
machines were much harder to
cheat than the early
mechanical versions. The
first electromechanical slot
machine was called the
"Money Honey". This machine
had flashing lights and
played sounds whenever a
jackpot was won.
The 1970s brought about even
more developments in the
world of slot machines with
video slot machines. Slots
were now displayed on a
screen and fully operated by
a computer.
The 1980s saw random number
generators incorporated into
slot machines to make spins
and results more random and
unpredictable.
Today there are many types
of slot machines with
advanced graphics, sounds,
and state of the art
technology. Slot machines
are no longer limited to
just land casinos, and can
now be played over the
Internet on a computer or
even a mobile phone.
Although slot machines have
dramatically changed in
appearance since 1895, one
thing that has not changed
is their popularity as the
most preferred casino game.
