History of the slot machine

You can find millions upon millions of references to slots machines on the internet, most of these just reference the other source pages and let you read about how the "Liberty Bell" was the first slot machine, and that Las Vegas has the most slots machines, or that everyone that plays a slot machine can also hear a hummingbirds wings flap from 4 miles away!!!

What I am going to do here is take the best bits from sites like wikipedia, about.com, free slots etc. etc. and give you all the real nitty gritty information that you really need to know on a single page... that´ll save you a lot of time won´t it?.

A slot machine (American), fruit machine (British), or poker machine (Australian) is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed. Slots are also known as one-armed bandits because slot machines were originally operated by a lever on the side of the machine (the one arm) instead of a button on the front panel, and because of their ability to leave the gamer penniless. Many modern machines still have a legacy lever in addition to the button.

Slot machines include a currency detector that validates the coin or money inserted to play. The machine pays off based on patterns of symbols visible on the front of the machine when it stops. Modern computer technology has resulted in many variations on the slot machine concept. Slot machines are the most popular gambling method in casinos and constitute about 70 percent of the average casino's income.[1] It is estimated that thirty percent or more of the profits from gambling machines come from problem gamblers

The first one-armed bandit was invented in 1887 by Charles Fey of San Francisco, California, U.S., and was called the Liberty Bell

The technology of slot machines has changed a lot over the years. The classic mechanical designs have been almost completely replaced by computer-controlled machines. But the game has remained the same. The player pulls a handle to rotate a series of reels (typically three) that have pictures printed on them. Winning or losing is determined by which pictures line up with the pay line, a line in the middle of a viewing window. If each reel shows the same winning picture along the pay line, you win (certain single images are sometimes winners as well). The amount you win -- the payout -- depends on which pictures land along the pay line.

In 1964, Bally developed the first fully electromechanical slot machine called Money Honey.

The first video slot machine to offer a second-screen bonus round was Reel 'Em In developed by WMS Industries Inc. in 1996.

Over the last ten years slot machines have taken as the casino’s top money maker surpassing the revenue earned from all of the table games put combined. The fact that players are willing to play a game that they know has a high house edge is a testament to the creative genius of the slot game designers. Once the technology became possible to produce the modern video slot machines with multi-lines and life changing jackpots, it was up to the slot game designers to produce the games that would interest the players.

This is for both land based and online casinos. Slots are the way forward for all people who like to gamble lightly and have some fun at the same time.

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