The first slot machine: from the beginnings to the present

Not everyone knows that the first slot machines appeared 120 years ago.

In 1887, the first news of a slot machine with a cash prize appeared in the United States. And in 1888, the country created the first jackpot slot machine that used the weight of coins. A couple of years later, a 5-reel slot machine appeared that imitated the process of a card game. So the United States has become an impeccable location for the creation and development of the gambling business. In 1893, one of the San Francisco newspapers announced that there are about 1,500 five-cent slot machines in the city, the number of which is increasing daily.

The well-known prototype of today’s automatic machines was produced in 1895 by an auto mechanic named Charles Fey. The name of the unit was symbolic – “Liberty Bell”. The design consisted of 3 vertically placed disks with numbers printed on them. The highest winnings were $ 5 and were paid out with the combination “4-11-44”. The success of this device made it possible for Fairy to open a private factory for the production of slot machines in 1896.

The basic principles of modern slot machines have remained virtually indistinguishable from those that appeared more than a hundred years ago. The changes affected only the technical part.

The historical name “slot machine” has been used to refer to the slot and vending machines. “Slot” translates to “coin slot”. But later the term “slot machine” began to mean only slot machines.

In Russia, the first slot machines began to be used in the mid-1980s of the 20th century. The devices were transported from overseas and looked outdated, primitive. And in the late 80s – early 90s in the USSR, they began to create their own “television slot machines”, such as “Cat-fisher”, “Auto racing”, “Dragon Island” and others, and after that the usual for us installations with monetary winning.

What is characteristic of the design of modern slot machines?

In the 21st century, many domestic firms are investing large sums of money in the development of new games, software, and machine design.

Today gambling is available both in land-based casinos and online. Developers of online slot software devices work for a high-quality result and try to implement new and interesting functions in their creations while paying due attention to the design of the machines., like 3D graphics and surround sound as Frank Casino (https://play-frank.online) casino, that is known for its design of slot machines.

Today there are several types of gaming machines (slot machines):

  1. Mechanical (wheeled);
  2. Video slots;
  3. Video poker;
  4. Multi-terminal.

Their difference lies in the number of reels and pay lines. Each slot machine has buttons, the meaning of which is unchanged, but there are also exceptions to the rule. Most of the buttons correspond to a specific action that will be performed after launch. The inscriptions are often in English. We explain the meaning of the most common:

  • Bet – an indication of the rate at which the participant is going to play.
  • Spin – the key to start the game.
  • X lines – execution of the game along X lines.
  • Collect – for fixing the game and making a deposit with the further withdrawal of money.
  • Bet One is a one-bet game.
  • Bet × 2 – a game at a double rate.
  • Bet × 3 is a game at a triple rate.
  • Bet × 5 – a game at a rate increased five times (most often in slot machines have a maximum increase in the bet by 10 or 100).
  • Bet Max – a selection of an extremely high bet placed on a specific gaming machine.
  • Last Bet – repeat the previous bet.

On the screen of all gaming devices, there are also numbers. Namely, Bet is the amount of the current bet, the Credit is the amount on the participant’s account, Win is the amount of the last win, Paid is the total amount of payments.