Ever walked into the casino glanced at the slots and wondered, how did the first slot machine look and when was it made. Today we are going to look at a brief history of slot machines. What different kinds of slot machines you can play, and how they work!
Table of Contents
Brief History
According to britannica the first slot machine was invented in 1894 by the late Charles Augustus Frey, he had engineered a machine that gave you the ability to win money, i.e the first recognizable slot machine we know and love today. It had a very simple mechanic, earn three bells in a row and you would receive the highest payout probably a few dollars, which was a big sum of money back in the day. Earlier builds were basic and most notably the first ever slot machine didn’t give you any kind of payout. It was focused on prizes for example winning free drinks and cigarettes. I mean who would say no to that!
According to sources the slot machine was later banned, but was replaced by fruit symbol slot machines, most casinos all around the world have fruit slot machines. However back in the day the payouts were slightly different. According to the corresponding flavour or colour prize you won on the slot machine, the prize would then be candy or chewing gum associated with colour and flavour.
The next few decades the build of the slot machine was entirely mechanical, The lever that we all know and love was connected to a spring inside it would get stretched out and slowly return to normal, this action would cause the reel to stop spinning inside. Players had a sense of confidence, because they felt they had control of the machine and the prizes.
As the years rolled by in 1964, slot machines moved into the half electrical, half mechanical era. The lever was still used to start the game, and popularity massively increased yet again especially with the introduction of a mechanic called the bottomless hopper, this mechanism gave the slot machine the ability to automatically payout up to five hundred coins.
Flashforward to 1976, this was the first year you would be able to play a video slot, like we know and love. They developed the first video slot machine in America, and used a television for the display, this was groundbreaking at the time, especially with televisions not being a regular amenity in the world.
In 1996 development went into overdrive with companies aiming to add more types of slot games and also the addition of bonus rounds. For the inexperienced gambler, bonus rounds are rounds that you get for free. Imagine it’s 1996, the only thing free is probably the air, and now WMS industries developed a machine where you pay money and you have the chance to win extra rounds which can help you win the jackpot. This inevitably secured the spot for slots machines in the casino realm.
With the emergence of online casinos let’s look at some popular slot machine games and how they work. If you ever wondered about websites like kasyna, have amazing online slots and a great variety, and with your new found knowledge playing slot machines, winning will become a lot more easier.
Different Kinds of Slot Machines
With the emergence of the Internet, there are such a variety when it comes to which games to choose. Let’s look at the most popular online slot games out there.
The first one is the three reel classic which is the oldest type of slot game you can find today. It’s very simplistic, you just need to match three symbols on the bottom,middle or top line to win the jackpot. This game usually doesn’t give you a big jackpot, but it gives you regular payouts.
The second one is the five reel slot machine, with regards to using it on online platforms, this game mode was designed to make the appearance and the effects of the game more appealing to online players. This advanced game mode also offered more chances of winning, because the payline would inevitably create more chances of paying out. In simpler terms the player has better odds for winning money.
The third game mode is called progressive slots, these are games that slowly increase the jackpot amount and offer you the chance of winning a massive sum of money, but the odds are rather stacked against you.
The fourth iteration is called mobile slots, these are new gen game modes specifically designed for smaller screens i.e smart phones and tablets. These are primarily used for beginners and mostly played on demo accounts to extract fun without losing real money.
The fifth one is called mega slot spins, these are usually played by experienced gamblers, this game mode allows you to play up to seven games at the same game. This is a fantastic game mode, because it usually offers progressive jackpots.
The second last game mode on the list is called multipliers, this game mode can be very advantageous for players seeking to double, triple or quadruple their winnings. Some games offer you the ability to multiply your winnings by a hundred.
Last, but not least, the final game is called multi- payline slots. This mode offers the ability to play numerous paylines with the added bonus of paylines not being in a straight line it can be zig-zag or diagonal. This offers players the ability to pursue multiple payout options. The only real disadvantage is and often the case it has a variety of input ranges to start. Winning the jackpot on a one dollar machine would not necessarily mean you will win a massive sum of money.
To conclude
When looking back at how far slot machines have developed in the past one hundred years it’s truly amazing. In the next ten years this list would probably have five new iterations to the online slot machine genre. With regards to gambling, I truly believe that updating and adding new games for gamblers to enjoy is definitely moving in the right direction with regards to ensuring the longevity of this genre.
