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A truly American game, slots are now popular all around the world. The first reels for gaming were manufactured in 1887 by Charles Fey and placed in the local gambling palaces on a 50% rental basis. In addition to being the inventor, Fey was also the first proprietor of the machines. Fey's first machine was not any more bulky or any cruder than modern day examples. Nor did its reels carry the fruit symbols common today. The first slot machine was actually called the Liberty Bell, a name for the game that has become a symbol of American culture and capitalism. The original symbols included the standard playing card imagery we are all used to - hearts, diamonds and spades- along with bells, horseshoes and a star. This original machine can still be seen today in a collection at the Liberty Belle Saloon and Restaurant in Reno Nevada, which is owned and operated by Fey's own lineage.
No one can argue that slots have been a tremendous success. $3 billion worth of pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and bills move through the 50k machines. Much of the money that used to be spent on table games is now spent on slots.
Nickel and quarter machines are by far the most popular, and account for about 85% of reel action in any given year. This popularity is followed by the dime boxes, then half-dollar and silver dollar machines. You can now find machines that accept $5 bills, and some rather large progressive jackpot machines that take $100 bills!
The modern, deluxe, single coin one armed bandits with the beautiful shiny chrome finish can run you as much as $1,700 to own for yourself. However, if you're thinking of making that purchase, make sure it’s legal to own a slot machine in the state or country that you live in.
You may be familiar with the name 'Big Bertha' when it comes to the reels. This new take on slots was designed to accept half dollar and dollars, and to pay back about 80% of what it takes in, but only in large payouts. The box is made for the most part to be a propaganda machine, catching customer’s imaginations and desires to have the biggest win on record.
People are hooked, which is proven by the appearance of the Super Big Bertha. This six by ten foot super slot machine is said to have cost more than one hundred and fifty thousand dollars to produce. A Five horsepower electric motor is needed to power the twenty-inch wide chain driven wheels. With eight reels containing 20 symbols each, there are 25.6 billion different possible combinations. Only one of these combinations actually pays the one million-dollar promised prize.
A long-standing record of $65,093 was won in one slots pull on a one-dollar progressive at Harold's Club in Reno in 1973. Quite recently (in 2001) a woman won over $1,000,000 in an Ontario, Canada Casino. It's worth noting the machine was a progressive that was $100 a pull.
In addition to being the biggest revenue producer, slots have also been the single biggest cause of police raids, legal indictments, and courts decisions over all other forms of gambling combined. Part of the problem is the manner of play. No other style of gambling creates such a hypnotic fascination. The action of placing a bet lets you see the light show, and watch the reels spin. There is a larger level of excitement in reel players when they hit a jackpot than other gamblers when they win large sums.
Online slots have skyrocketed in the last few years, allowing players to get the same thrill of a win in their own homes. With awe-inspiring progressives and great graphics, this all-American game is here to stay.
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