There are different versions about when the first slot machines appeared and who can be called their inventor. Often the history of slot machines begins with the mention of the name Charles Fey. However, this may not be entirely accurate data.
According to one version, the first devices were developed by Sittman and Pitt in 1891. The company was located in New York. By default, many people think that the earliest slots were with three reels, and then the industry came to a new standard - 5 reels. But this is not true.
Sittman and Pitt released the first five reel slots. This choice was justified by the fact that they were based on the game of poker, which involves combinations of five cards, which is why the choice was initially made in favor of five reels.
Payouts were made in accordance with the value of poker hands, the minimum winnings were issued for a pair of kings. Each reel contains 10 cards. But since there are 52 cards in one deck, there were no jack of hearts and ten of spades, and this lowered the chances of winning.
A distinctive feature of these slots was that the payouts were not automatic. The players were awarded prizes by the employees of the institution in which they played. Moreover, it could be not only money, but also goods. For example, on one of the first slot machines it is written that the player received 100 cigars for the Flash Royale. The bet was fixed - 5 cents per spin.
These devices were located in ordinary bars, the owners of which thus tried to attract visitors. After all, poker was very popular back then.
Here the exact dates are not known. Charles Fey is said to have developed his first slot machines sometime between 1887-1895. But many agree that his invention was made after the Sittman and Pitt poker machines. If so, then the period can be reduced to 1891-1895.
The main merit of Charles Fey was that he found a way to make payments automatic. To do this, he simplified the mechanics and the number of possible combinations. The number of reels was reduced to 3, and instead of 50 different cards, only 5 symbols appeared on the reels: three card suits (hearts, diamonds, spades), horseshoes and a bell of liberty. The bell was the most valuable symbol, which is why the device was called the Liberty Bell.
After that, the history of slot machines becomes extensive, as many began to manufacture them. Moreover, manufacturers could easily copy the design of Charles Fey, since he did not patent his invention.
Charles Fey also lived in the USA, so there can be no doubt about the birthplace of slot machines. In San Francisco, he worked as a mechanic and was fond of inventions. Some claim that he began work on the slot machine as early as 1887, several years before the invention of Sittman and Pitt. However, we also do not know when Sittman and Pitt began work on their apparatus. Therefore, the question of who was the first remains open.
Shortly after Charles Fey began producing Liberty Bell, various investors became interested in this area. As a result, Charles Fey joined the company Mills Novelty Company Inc. And they started making Mills Owls, which were their first slot machines, and then they started making Mills Liberty Bell. They were followed by a machine with fruit symbols, Operator Bell.
In the thirties of the 20th century, Charles Fey is still working with Mills Novelty and releases Silent Bell (silent bell). The device produced significantly less noise and offered a maximum win twice as much as usual.
In 1906, the Industry Novelty Company was formed by one of the employees of Mills Novelty. They originally opened as a slot repair company and then began making their own models. One of the most significant achievements of this company was that they figured out how slot machines can recognize coins of different denominations. They also invented a mechanism that prevented coins from getting stuck when they were tossed too fast.
The first of those developers that still exist today was Aristocrat. The company appeared in 1953 and began to work at the international level. Its founder was Len Ainsworth, who then lost control of the company and subsequently created another one, Ainsworth Game Technology.
One of the earliest names for devices was nickel-in-the-slot (nickel in the slot). The reason for this was that the rate in the machines was 5 cents (nickel). And the word "slot" means a hole into which coins were thrown. Then this long name was shortened to "slot".
At the same time, slot machines were called one-armed bandits. For obvious reasons, this name stuck and is used to this day. In the future, when images of fruits began to appear on the reels, they were called fruit machines (fruit machines).
