Slots were a lot simpler when they were first invented back in the 19th century. There were fewer reels and fewer symbols on them. The pulling and releasing of a lever controlled each spin and this system was open to abuse, as uneven pressure applied to the release of the lever could actually fix slot spins in favour of the punter. Powerful magnets could also drag the most valuable slots symbols into place for large payouts. When no deposit free spins slots were outlawed as gambling games because of society wide gambling bans, they took on the guise of fruit and vending machines. Again, these machines were open to manipulation, but incidences fell due to the lack of cash prizes.
The Continued Development Of Slots
When gambling bans were eventually lifted, slots returned to their original format as gambling games. The symbols that replaced card faces during gambling bans such as fruits, remained in place and this was how some slots became known as fruit machines. Obviously technology continued to advance and this progress was expressed in newer slots that moved away from their mechanical cousins. In 1963 the first electrical slot was introduced and this allowed the development of the first video slot to take place in the 1970s. The 1980s saw improvements on this early video slot effort and the emergence of video games helped to improve the graphics of slots too.
The Digital Revolution
The digital revolution of the early 1990s was the final nail in the coffin of traditional slots games. The invention of the internet brought with it the development of software that created the first virtual online casino. This in turn helped to develop and introduce the first virtual video slot. Both were introduced to the public in 1996 and they proved to be a winning combination that punters could not resist.
Modern Day Slots
Today punters have a choice of hundreds of video slots to pick from and all can be played in the comfort of punter’s homes or on the go courtesy of mobile devices. These slots are more complex and high tech than ever and they come with new terms that punters have learned to understand. All digital slots now use an RNG or Random Number Generator to create slots spins. This is basically a number sequencing computer microchip that the industry uses to create fair, neutral spins that show no bias towards punter or casino. However, by their very design, slots give the house an edge over the punter.
Other Terms
RTP is another important term for punters to acknowledge and this stands for Return To Player percentage. Since all slots are different to each other, each slot has its own unique RTP score. Games with low RTP scores often do not pay well and are often described as being high volatility games. Games with high RTP scores that are low volatility, pay out better and free spin bonus rounds are easier to trigger and more frequently too than highly volatile slots.