Slot machines are an incredibly popular feature at casinos worldwide. While they haven’t been around as long as some other classic games, like blackjack or poker, they have quickly become one of the most profit-generating features in the industry.
The first recognized slot machine was Charles Fey’s Liberty Bell, a mechanical device that featured 3 spinning reels and 10 symbols per reel. Each physical reel had 100 combinations, giving its results predictable odds.
Mechanical
Fey’s invention caught fire immediately with gamblers when he introduced it to San Francisco saloons in 1895. Even without electricity to power them, the machines’ flashing lights and promises of grand prizes instantly drew flocks of players who were eager to try their luck at winning big.
Though mechanical slot machines fell out of favor during the second half of the 20th century when digital screens began to take over the market (more on this below), today’s digital slots still bear resemblance to those created by Fey more than a century ago.
Computers Take Over
In the early years of slot games, before computer technology could support complex software systems, each machine was only capable of displaying three lines horizontally. However, this didn’t stop overzealous developers from coming up with creative designs that featured fruits, bells and sevens for every symbol on every reel. These basic designs are still wildly popular today because they’re easy for players to understand and follow; if you spin three apples in a row or get yourself three lucky sevens on a payline, everyone knows what that means: big winnings!
As soon as computers became small enough to fit inside standalone devices in the ’60s and ’70s though, game developers jumped at the chance to make their products faster and more fun. By replacing reels with color displays featuring integrated color displays instead of side-mounted levers on earlier machines which used ticket systems so players could manage winnings more easily without coin buckets, business owners were able to treat customers with a myriad of new features and options.
Video slots let developers create digital games that played like more traditional machines but featured multiple paylines, which gave players more chances of winning on each spin. Some of these extra lines went vertically, while others were diagonal or zig zagged across the screen in all sorts of directions; these designs are what we still see today when we visit casinos and play at slot.com sites: multilines that run from left to right, up and down.
Video slots also let users explore new themes with symbols and artwork — before this innovation, all machines were stuck with fruits, bells or sevens — which they used to attract younger gamblers who might otherwise have been more inclined to spend their money on arcade games.
The Future
Today’s slots look much different than those first machines invented by Fey over 100 years ago. The only thing that remains the same is their iconic symbols.
As computer technology continues to evolve and become even smaller and cheaper though, we can expect big changes in the industry. For example:
Virtual Reality Slot Machines: Imagine sticking your head inside a video game and actually playing for real money! Virtual reality could revolutionize the gaming market entirely by giving players access to multiplayer environments where they can meet friends (or meet strangers), experience new worlds and win cash prizes all at once.
Augmented Reality Slot Machines: Pokemon Go already proved how fun AR can be when it comes to getting people off their couches and interacting with the real world around them. Just wait until someone creates an augmented reality casino game where you can sit down at any table you want!
Interactive Gameplay: Thanks in large part to improvements made by online casinos during the COVID-19 pandemic when nearly all land-based establishments were forced into hibernation mode, traditional slot game developers have embraced web capabilities as well. Many now offer interactive gameplay with storylines and characters to keep users entertained for hours on end, even if they aren’t winning huge jackpots. This feature has proven quite popular because it increases engagement with game titles, which is what developers want most.
Wireless Charging: Last but not least, future digital slot games could ditch coin buckets and card swipers altogether in favor of wireless charging stations that instantly load your account whenever you sit down at a machine. This would make it much easier for business owners to keep track of money being won or lost by each customer.
