When did the first slot machines appear? Online slot machines – what is it? History of modern slots

At one time, slot machines very quickly gained recognition in gaming centers and casinos around the world, because, unlike the same board games In slot machines, the player himself sets the pace of the game, no special skills are required from the players, and absolutely everything depends solely on luck and old lady Fortune.

Interestingly, the American term “slot machine” was originally used to refer to both trading and slot machines (a slot is a slot for accepting coins). Both slot machines and vending machines had identical slots. But later, the term “slot machine” was assigned specifically to those machines that, in exchange for a coin, did not provide goods, but provided the opportunity to play some kind of game. But progress does not stand still. Now you don’t need any coins, and slot machines that you can play for free all day long are available to all of us on the Internet.

The history of slot machines dates back to 1884-88. (according to various sources), when an American of German origin, Charles Faye (1862-1944), created his first slot machine in his auto repair shop, which ran on 5-cent coins. The maximum win of the first slot machine was 10 coins of 5 cents - only half a dollar.

August Charles Fey (1862-1944) was the sixteenth and last child in the family of a rural teacher from Bavaria.
A passion for mechanics was discovered in the boy at the age of 14, when he became a worker at a factory producing farm equipment. Bavarian youths often ended up in the German army, and to avoid this fate, fifteen-year-old Augustus decided to go to New Jersey.

At the age of 15 he left parents' house, taking with him only a small bundle of provisions and a woolen blanket. Earning odd jobs, he walked all over France and reached the shores of Foggy Albion. After five years of working as a mechanic in the shipyards of London, Fey saved enough money to go to America. Then he did not even suspect that he would become famous as the inventor of slot machines. He stayed in France to earn money and cross the English Channel, and lived in London for another 5 years before he came to America, to New York. However, the cold northeastern winters drove the young traveler to California.

In America at that time, various vending machines with slots for five-cent coins were common: this is where Fey’s idea was born. In 1885, Charles Fey arrived in San Francisco. Various gaming devices that flooded the saloons and cigar shops of San Francisco could not help but attract the attention of a talented mechanic. In San Francisco, August worked for a short time as a mechanic. Soon the young man was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and doctors predicted imminent death, but the disease was extinguished. At 25 August went back to work. Having married a Californian, Augustus took a new American name (Charles) and completely adopted the American way of life.

In the late 1890s, games began to appear that were very similar to modern slot machines. These were machines with reels on which cards were depicted or a machine with a huge wheel on which many colors were applied. The point of all the games was to guess the card or color that would appear after spinning the reels or wheel.

In the 1890s, C. Fey worked together with Theodor Holtz and Gustav Schultz, one of the most famous manufacturers of slot machines at that time. In 1893, Schultz created HORSESHOES, the first 1-reel machine with a cash counter and cash payout. In 1894, C. Fey built a similar apparatus, and in 1895 he created his own “4-11-44”.

The success of this machine allowed the inventor to open his own factory in 1896 and devote himself entirely to the development of new devices. The first poker machines with “falling cards” and cards located on 5 reels were created here.

The first slot machine, created in 1894, had 3 wheels and was very similar to the slot machine of Gustav Schulz, a famous manufacturer and operator of slots, that appeared a year earlier. After leaving his previous job, Charles founded his own company, which initially produced parts and spare parts for Schultz slots.

A year later, the second version of the slot, performed by Fey, appeared - a machine called “4-11-44” was reminiscent of the popular Police lottery. 4-11-44, a popular lottery combination, was the top winning ($5.00) combination on the Fairy slot with three concentric digital buzzers.

The success of this device was so significant that it allowed Fey to open his own factory for the production of similar devices already in 1896. When in 1898 a decree was issued on the legalization of machines that pay out winnings in cash, C. Fey is trying to build a poker machine with a counter and payment of cash winnings. The main difficulty was recognizing the cards on the reels and making it possible to accept and pay out winnings both in coins and in special “trade checks” tokens, which were exchanged for cigars and drinks. In 1898, C. Fey managed to solve this problem, although the poker turned out to be somewhat “truncated” - on 3 reels. The machine was called CARD BELL - the name “bell machine” became a common name for all machines with three reels for many decades.

In 1899, Charles Fey slightly changed his brainchild. Now the latter began to be dominated by the very popular at that time patriotic symbol Liberty Bell - the “liberty bell”, which adorned the top panel of the machine.
“Liberty Bell” is a slot that consists of three reels, on which are marked: a horseshoe, a star, spades, diamonds, hearts and a bell. Only one line of symbols was visible on the display. To place a bet, you need to insert a token or coin into a special slot. To start the game, you need to pull the lever. The reels will start spinning. After the reels stop, a combination of symbols appears. The winnings table will determine the amount of winnings if a paid combination occurs.

At the bottom there was a winning table, according to which the maximum “boot” - 20 dimes (or tokens) - was paid when a combination of three bells was drawn.

Several slot machines designed by Fey were installed in drinking establishments in San Francisco. Along with the first “one-armed bandits,” the first gamblers.

"... One of these avid gamblers was a young Indian businessman who came to Tokyo on business. While having breakfast in a small cafe, he noticed in the corner four slot machines operating from one lever. The inquisitive Indian could not resist the temptation to try his luck: he dropped into each of machines on a coin and pressed the lever. The winnings amounted to eight coins. Thus began an unprecedented gaming marathon, which lasted six days with four three-hour breaks for food and sleep. During this time, he pulled the lever 70,000 times, winning a total of 1,500 dollars, which again. spent on the game, adding another hundred dollars from his own money. Although at times the machines paid him significant sums, there was no case (except for the first attempt) when the winnings exceeded the bet by more than one and a half times. For example, he lost twenty dollars. received less than ten back.
At the end of the six-day madness, the Indian returned to his homeland and convinced the management of his company to invest funds from the export of spices, fruits and medicines in the import of American slot machines. An unusual commercial operation brought the company enormous profits and resounding success..."

The success of the inventor and his apparatus haunted envious people, so in 1905 a rather strange robbery took place in one of the salons on Powell Street in San Francisco. Only two items were stolen - a bartender's apron and a Liberty Bell slot machine. As it turned out later, he was kidnapped by his competitors - the Novelty company, which sent the “bandit” straight to its Chicago factory. Using the stolen machine gun as a model, the company released its own model in 1906 - the Mills Liberty Bell. And soon, thanks to the fact that Charles Fey's factory was almost completely destroyed during strong earthquake in San Francisco in 1906, the kidnapping company managed to gain a leading position in the market for mechanical gambling. And this happened in just a few years.

Since the early days of their existence, gaming devices have had to constantly defend their “right to life.” Numerous local and federal decrees and laws banning slot machines were issued in the United States every year. As a result, machine owners had to resort to all sorts of tricks. For example, “Liberty Bell” , thanks to the addition of a special device, turned into a chewing gum vending machine.

But, in addition, the buyer, by pulling a special handle, could win a prize if a winning combination was formed when spinning the reels. New symbols were applied to the machine's discs - plums, oranges, lemons, mint, cherries, corresponding to the most popular flavors of chewing gum, as well as images of packaging labels (BAR). Now the maximum win was paid out when receiving a combination of three labels, and the traditional bell moved to second line in the winnings table. Such machines began to be called fruit-machines. The fruit trick increased sales (the machines began to be installed in stores, public places, etc. - where cards were not allowed).

Since then, these pictures have been present on the reels of modern slot machines practically unchanged. Only the bright label turned into a simple rectangle with the inscription BAR. Over the decades, these symbols have become a kind of international language - players all over the world know that a lemon means a loss, three oranges mean a win of 10 coins, and three BARs mean a “Jackpot”.

Despite the fact that slot machines were banned in California, Fi continued to produce them illegally, for which he was arrested and fined.

And Slot Machines were gaining more and more momentum - even the Great Depression did not affect their popularity!

The first electric slot machine, Jackpot Bell, in which the wheel mechanism was driven by an electric motor, was developed by Jennings in 1930. In 1966, the Bally company introduced a machine equipped with an automatic winning payout system - coins were poured into a special tray. Until 1966, winnings were paid by the owners of the establishments where the machines were located.

Charlie August's mechanical slot machine was used for over 60 years.

The first prototype of a slot machine was invented in 1887 in England. In 1905, the famous Liberty Bell was created in the USA, and since that time the level of accessibility of the game has increased, which immediately affects the increase in the number of players around the world. Slot machines are beginning to be installed not only in casinos, but also in saloons and bars. From this moment on, the global gambling business begins a new life.

Types of slot machines

Practice is divided into the following types

Slot machines

Mechanical slots

As such, they existed in the Russian Federation until 2005 until the adoption of a law regulating the minimum return percentage of 90%, after which individual models were taken out of circulation. However, some rooms remained blocked as exhibits.

The very first had a lever to start, later models were started by a button (the lever remained as a tradition)

Easy customization - you need to re-stick the necessary symbols and make a winning table
More complete demo mode - capable (unlike video) of running in random and endless rotation modes
The buttons/lever are made with resistance, which limits the minimum age of the player

Increased vulnerability, due to which it is necessary to install a shock sensor (when triggered, it blocks the mechanisms)
On some machines, only half of the cells contain prize symbols, which raised doubts among players
Large size (due to the presence of a hopper - a device for processing coins/tokens)

Video slots

The current level of development of electronics makes it possible to produce an almost unlimited number of new varieties of slot machines. As a rule, they are equipped with five parallel discs, on the rim of which are marked various images. These are virtual reels spinning on a video monitor screen. Such machines have from 1 to 40 or more (rarely up to 100) winning lines; payouts occur on combinations on all lines. Certain combinations of numbers bring winnings to the player. Slot machines differ from each other in terms of playing conditions - the opportunity to further increase the amount won; bonus systems, jackpots, and the design of cases and gaming programs - the number of symbols and pictures that replaced the traditional “cherries” is incalculable. The following games were very widespread: SupeJump (KSI), SwampLand (KSI), LuckyDrink (Belatra), CrazyMonkey (Igrosoft) and many others. From foreign slot machines: slot machines from Atronic, Bally, IGT, WMS, Novomatic... Today on the Internet a large number of slot machines are available in demo versions for review.

Video poker

A slot machine with a processor unit, a bill and coin acceptor, and a video monitor. Unlike automatic machines, slots contain a program that simulates a poker game. As a rule, they are equipped with touch screens. Models: IGT Game King, Bally GameMaker, etc.

Columns

First generation: a machine with a coin acceptor that functions as a button, equipped with seven-segment indicators that display winning combinations. The retail price was initially 100,000 rubles, with fixed rates 5 rubles, which with a 75% return gave the owner 1 ruble 25 kopecks from each game) which, coupled with the small costs of starting a business, even led to the expulsion of other tenants from small premises for gambling. The KSI company used a PC to control the “columns”. Company SIGMAS - board based on a microcontroller. There were a large number of options for both circuit design and external design of the columns. A special case of a “column” was the so-called “daisy” - a street structure made of a metal frame and wall panels, on the sides of which blocks were installed - modules of columns and sometimes video slots.

Later versions were actually a variation of a regular video slot with a reduced number of buttons (the “Paytable” and “Payout” buttons were eliminated, each choice (lines/bet) was made exclusively with one button) and a CRT monitor. At the same time, the operator located inside the structure did not see the player before demanding payment at the banknote machine (or exchange at the coin machine), but observation by the non-player was actually free, which formed a negative public opinion. Some hex-like and circular structures were later repurposed as kiosks.

Includes horse racing simulators, electronic roulettes and roulettes with a real wheel and pneumatic ball injection, as well as machines of mixed designs.

Operating principle

Slot machines are one of the most profitable methods of doing business. The owner earns from the so-called. “return percentage”, that is, the system administrator sets in advance the percentage of funds invested in the machine by the player that is returned to the players in the form of winnings. This percentage varies between 80 and 95, but on average it is 85-92. Most machines do not allow you to set a percentage less than 80 (but not lower than required by law), since the manufacturer believes that in this case the maintenance of the machine will be unprofitable. It is completely wrong to assume that if a slot machine with a return percentage of 80 “eats” 100 rubles, then it should immediately give back the 80 rubles due to the player. A winning combination appears just as randomly as a losing one, so the machine can “eat” 1 or 10 thousand rubles and give nothing back, but the next moment, give back 80% (of the arbitrary amount) allotted to the player. In any case, if we take the statistics of the machine for a more or less long period (1 week/1 month), it will still turn out that the machine gave the player no more than 80% of the funds invested in it. The player can only win if he lands on random recoil moment 80 percent of random amounts. When the player starts the game, symbols appear randomly on the screen using a generator pseudorandom numbers, naturally observing the conditions of the established “return percentage” - if certain conditions are met, then the combination on the screen will be winning. Thus, all the images on the screen, or doubling the winnings (red/black, big/small) are by and large unimportant - after the reels start, the player will absolutely not be able to influence the course of the game, no matter what button the player presses, even before the reels stop already “knows” in advance whether to show a winning combination or not. In this sense, a modern slot machine is no different from the so-called. street “Stolbiki” - common primitive slot machines that don’t even have a screen. A screen is not needed, the screen only displays a sequence of pseudo-random numbers in graphical form. The screen is needed so that the player does not lose interest in the game and stays at the machine longer.
Colorful images of the game's heroes, the ability to select any symbols, doubling the winnings, sound, the design of the machine itself - all this is only needed for the psychological aspect of the game - the player seems to be playing some kind of quest, he feels involved with the heroes of the game, an idea is imposed on him that it is he who controls them, but this is all false - the processor of the machine, even before the first second, already “knows” what to do, and only then gives the command to the graphics card to light up this or that picture on the screen.

There are several options for how the generator works (for slot machines)

Virtual offset: another random number is added to a random number (in the range 0-1) defining the reel sector, 1 is subtracted if necessary, and the new position is shown accordingly
Infinite offset: the coprocessor calculates the entire operating time, while producing only the result generated when betting
From winning: A random number determines the winning and type (credits and additional games), and then the machine “draws” a combination for it.

History of gambling business in Russia

This section lacks links to sources of information.

First stage

Story gambling business in Russia dates back to 1989, when in the USSR [ specify] the Finnish company Casino Amherst opened a casino in the Moscow Savoy Hotel. Until the end of 1990, the basis of the gambling business was mainly casinos, positioned on the market as expensive “elite” establishments. A very detailed history and exclusive interviews about the development and liquidation of the gambling business in Russia can be found here.

Second stage

A powerful impetus to the development of the gaming hall industry was given by the Federal Law “On Tax on Gambling Business” adopted in 1998, which established a system of imputed taxation. With the adoption of this law, business gained the opportunity to develop openly.

Third stage

With the entry into force of part two of the Tax Code, the tax rate on income (winnings) was established at 35%, and the practice extended to the amount of money taken by the player. However, the practice was quickly challenged and the rule was canceled earlier.

A real boom in the development of slot machines occurred in 2002, when the Russian Government refused to license the gambling business by regions of the Russian Federation and the procedure for obtaining a license was simplified as much as possible.

According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, gaming machines belong to the category “Measuring equipment” with the corresponding requirements for metrological control. [ source not specified 988 days]

Fourth stage

After the explosion at the Rizhskaya station (at that time there was a gaming room in two pavilions)

In July 2005, amendments to the Federal Law “On Licensing of Certain Types of Activities” came into force, which introduced a system of separate licensing of casino activities and gaming halls, and also, for the first time, introduced a licensing system for the production and sale of gaming equipment.

The first slot machines were significantly different from today's slot machines. Only the idea of the game itself has remained unchanged - to win, the player needs to collect a winning combination of symbols. Simple rules The games and the exciting process itself have made slot machines one of the most popular entertainment in casinos.

Poker slot machines

The first gaming devices using coins were invented in 1880. These slot machines were based on the card game of poker and had five reels and fifty playing cards. The player put a coin into the machine, pulled the handle and watched the reels spin. The “payout” system was non-standard: in case of victory, the player approached the bartender and took a mug of beer or a cigar as a prize.

One-armed bandits

The next stage in the development of slot machines is one-armed bandits. These are the inventions of Charles Fey, the “father of slots.” History says that Fey invented the first slot machine in 1894. The second slot, invented in 1895, was called 4-11-44. These slot machines became known as “one-armed bandits” because of the lever used to spin the reels.

Liberty Bell

Already in 1898, Fey invented the first slot machine with an automatic payout system - the Liberty Bell. Landing three Liberty Bell symbols awarded the player a jackpot of 10 nickels. The novelty was so popular that even after slot machines were banned, Fey had many orders for their production.

Fruit machines

The next stage in the history of slots was the invention of “fruit” machines. The card symbols on the reels have been replaced with fruit designs: cherries, oranges, watermelons, apples and bar symbols. At first, the payouts on these machines were fruit-flavored chewing gum. This was done not only for fun, but also to avoid anti-gambling laws that were introduced in many states.

Electromechanical slots

The first electromechanical slot machine was invented in 1964 and was called Money Honey. Thanks to advanced electromechanical technology, the slot paid out winnings automatically and could accept up to 500 coins without technical support.

And in 1996, the first video slot appeared, which had a Reel’Em bonus game on the second screen.

History of modern slots

Today, players have a wide choice of slot machines that they can play in both classic and online casinos. Slot machines may have a different number of reels and paylines, bonuses and symbols. Most slots are themed, but some still use classic symbols. Among the slot machines, the most common are: classic 3-reel, 5-reel video slots, progressive, bonus, etc.

Online slots

The history of online slots dates back to 1994, when the state of Antigua and Barbuda signed the Caribbean Free Trade Agreement. This document allowed companies from all over the world to legally open online casinos. In 1995, the first online casino Gaming Club was opened.

To protect and support online players, the famous Kahnawake Gaming Commission (Canada) was founded in 1996. Many players preferred to play on the Internet, but in 1996 the United States passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which prohibited online gambling. However, according to statistics, now about 70% of the income of any online casino comes from slot machines.

Nowadays, slot machines can be seen not only in special establishments, but also on the Internet. The concept of “slot machine simulators” is becoming popular (as, for example, here kazino-club-vulkan.com/simulyatori-igrovyh-avtomatov). But not everyone knows where and how the first slot machines originated.

Slot machines are American in origin. Their story began back in 1887. The first mechanical machine was nicknamed the “freedom bell.” It received this name from auto mechanic Charles Fay, who was also the inventor of this miracle machine. He assembled them by hand in his garage and rented them out for money. At that time, he, unfortunately, could not legalize his unique invention due to the strict ban on slot machines in America. Over time, he will open a whole factory for their production.

Essentially, the machine had three reels and had symbols such as hearts, spades, diamonds, horseshoes and a bell. In order to play, it was necessary to have a small change coin, which was inserted into a special hole. If a person won from a machine (the maximum winning amount was 50 cents), then the money won was paid by the owner of the gambling establishment, since the machine did not have a payment mechanism. Soon such a “machine” was nicknamed the “one-armed bandit” due to the player’s quick loss. In states where there was a complete ban on gaming slots, they began to be combined with machines selling sweets and chewing gum, respectively, the winnings were compensated by sweets, and this is where the “fruit symbolism” of modern gaming slots came from.

In 1891, the first poker slot appeared on the reels. playing cards. Tossing a coin, the player watched a rotating drum on which combinations fell out and if one of them turned out to be winning, he received money for it. Then this poker machine became the harbinger of today's poker machines. Specialists gambling They believed that slot machines were quite a profitable business. They began to ask Fay to sell them a license to manufacture machine guns, but he refused their offer. And already in 1907, Chicago businessman Herbert Stiefer Bell launched the production of “twins” of the Liberty Bell. In 1910, the slot machines became very famous and were in great demand among players.

A little later, machines began to appear throughout Europe. The Novelty company simply stole one machine gun from Fay. And in Las Vegas, the first slot machine was seen in 1949 at the famous Flamingo Hilton hotel and was initially intended to entertain the ladies accompanying the players, but soon the slots were very much loved by the players themselves and became the main game.

Over time, the machines were improved and improved. In 1964, an electromechanical slot appeared, then it amazed everyone with its lighting design and electric motors. 1975 - the appearance of a slot machine with a TV screen, through which players could see the game.

Now slot machines all over the world are enjoying stunning success. Slots located in casinos bring millions of dollars in income to such establishments. Well, as you know, to win, you need to have money, and, of course, luck.

Slot machines are American in origin. Their story began back in 1887. The first mechanical machine was nicknamed the “freedom bell.” It received this name from auto mechanic Charles Fay, who was also the inventor of this miracle - an automatic machine. He assembled them by hand in his garage and rented them out for money. At that time, he, unfortunately, could not legalize his unique invention due to the strict ban on slot machines in America. Over time, he will open a whole factory for their production.

Essentially, the machine had three reels and had symbols such as hearts, spades, diamonds, horseshoes and a bell. In order to play, it was necessary to have a small change coin, which was inserted into a special hole. If a person won from a machine (the maximum winning amount was 50 cents), then the money won was paid by the owner of the gambling establishment, since the machine did not have a payment mechanism. Soon such a “machine” was nicknamed the “one-armed bandit” due to the player’s quick loss. In states where there was a complete ban on gaming slots, they began to be combined with machines selling candies and chewing gum; accordingly, winnings were compensated by candies, which is where the “fruit symbolism” of modern gaming slots came from.

In 1891, the first poker slot appeared, which featured playing cards on the reels. Tossing a coin, the player watched a rotating drum on which combinations fell out and if one of them turned out to be winning, he received money for it. Then this poker machine became the harbinger of today's poker machines. Gambling experts believed that slot machines were quite profitable. They began to ask Fay to sell them a license to manufacture machine guns, but he refused their offer. And already in 1907, Chicago businessman Herbert Stiefer Bell launched the production of “twins” of the Liberty Bell. In 1910, the slot machines became very famous and were in great demand among players.

Since the introduction of the first Liberty Bell slot machine in 1897, gambling has undergone many changes. Three-reel versions with one payline have turned into interactive themed games with animated characters, three-dimensional graphics, a huge number of additional functions (free spins, special Wild, Scatter, Bonus symbols, multipliers, risky rounds). Conventionally, all games can be divided into two large groups: classic slot machines and modern video slots.

Structure of classic slots

Three reels and one payline. Symbols - sevens, bar inscriptions, cherries. The settings are minimal: select the bet denomination. There are no additional options.

Structure of modern games

5-9 reels, three or more paylines. Some models have 200 or more winning combinations. Prize draws, free spins, Wild, Scatter, Bonus symbols and other options are available.

In online casinos, slot machines are grouped by manufacturer, theme, jackpot availability, and release date.

Slot machine versions

Manufacturers produce slots in several versions:

online– for playing on the website (including a version adapted for mobile devices)
offline– for land-based casinos.

Video slot variance

Dispersion, or volatility, is an indicator of the ratio of bets made and rewards received in a particular machine. There are three levels of dispersion:

Low. Each spin gives a win, but most often its size is less than the bet. Low dispersion slots are suitable for players who love quick wins and dynamics. Examples: Blood Suckers, Attraction, Diamond Dogs.
Average. Here a balance is maintained between winning and losing spins, the winning amount is average. Medium-dispersion slots are the largest group. Examples: Aloha Cluster Pays, Boom Brothers, Dragon Island.
High. A winning combination is formed extremely rarely, but gives a generous reward that covers all bets. High dispersion slots are chosen by patient players who have enough free time and money. Examples: Beach, Cosmic Fortune, Fruit Case.

Understanding the significance of this indicator will help you choose a slot that will give either small winnings with each spin, or higher ones, but a little less often, or huge ones, but extremely rarely.

Basic rules for playing slots

Player goal– collect a combination of identical symbols on the reels. Information about the rules, bonus options, symbols and combinations with proposed payout ratios is presented in the Info and PayTable sections.

Player Actions– select the number of lines, place bets and activate the reels. You can start the game in Auto mode.

Winning combinations– several identical symbols on the active line. Their position can be determined by a clear framework: for example, the appearance from left to right or simply proximity on the reels is taken into account.

Additional options that increase the likelihood of winning include free spins, special symbols, risky games, bonus rounds, and respins.

Slot machine selection criteria

You can choose a slot machine based on subjective parameters (theme, manufacturer, graphics quality, presence of a jackpot).

If a player intends to bet real money and win, it is worth considering the following characteristics:

Bid range;
Dispersion level;
Theoretical return.

These are the main criteria that will help you choose the optimal game.

There are no strategies that could help you beat slot machines. But there are certain rules that will increase your chances of winning:

You should only play licensed slots from well-known manufacturers (NetEnt, Microgaming, Yggdrasil Gaming);
Choose slot machines with a high RTP level – from 95%;
Take into account slot variance;
Do not refuse bonus bets;
Keep in mind that the betting system does not affect the probability of winning;
Train in free versions.

Slot Reviews

Our website contains articles with reviews of slot machines. They are created by a team of experienced expert authors who pre-test the slots.

Each article has general description slot, its basic and special symbols, bonus games, jackpot, interface. In conclusion, all the advantages and disadvantages of the machine are listed, and a list of reputable online sites where you can play for free and for money is offered.

Site users can leave comments and rate the slot. As part of the site rules, reviews are not moderated and are published while maintaining the style, punctuation and spelling of the author.

Conclusion

The site contains the best games from leading manufacturers: Microgaming, Playtech, Igrosoft, NetEnt, Yggdrasil Gaming and others. The thematic and functional variety of slots, difficulty levels and technical parameters will allow each user to choose a game for themselves.

Expert advice will help you understand the basic rules and main criteria for choosing slot machines. And thanks to user reviews, you can reinforce your own opinion about a particular game.

Slots can be classified as one of the youngest gambling games. However, they cannot be called young, because the first models were born back in the century before last. Since then, slot machines have come a thorny path from primitive mechanical devices to complex computer programs.

Currently, you can find not only new games of this kind on the Internet. Almost every machine known from real casinos can be found in online establishments in the form of a virtual analogue, which is usually called an emulator. They are especially popular with customers who remain attached to their favorite games for many years, even as newer versions become available.

But let's return to the history of slot machines.

First slots

So, slot machines are about one hundred and twenty years old. Considering such an insignificant age (on the scale of history), it is not surprising that the name of the inventor of the first slots is well known to everyone who is interested in their history. He became Charles Fey, a German immigrant who lived first in New Jersey and then in California. He is called the father of slots.

When Fei was about twenty years old, doctors discovered he had tuberculosis and claimed that he would not last a year. However, he not only lived for many more years, but was also able to become a legend of the gambling world.

In 1887 Charles designed first slot machine, which he named Liberty Bell. It consisted of three reels with twenty symbols (bells, horseshoes, stars and card suits) that formed combinations, and accepted nickels. The new product was a resounding success, and within a few years the mass production of Liberty Bell slots was launched.

It must be said that Fey was not only a talented engineer, but also a successful businessman. He came up with the idea of renting out slots for 50% of the profit they brought. He consistently refused to sell the machines or the rights to produce them, although all the major casino equipment manufacturers made lucrative offers to him.

It was not until 1907 that he began a partnership with the Mills Novelty Company, which resulted in the new Mills Liberty Bell slot. Later the Operator Bell model was developed. Its popularity is evidenced by the fact that more than thirty thousand slots were sold.

It is also impossible not to recall that in 1891 in Brooklyn, the Sittman and Pitt company developed its own version of a slot machine. It was based on the principles of poker, and payments were made for drawn poker combinations. Some researchers believe that this slot was the first.

Significant changes in the design and design of slot machines occurred in the thirties of the twentieth century. Firstly, slots got rid of the annoying bell that notified everyone of a win. Secondly, they have a double jackpot. In addition, the design of the devices has become more attractive and varied. The new models were called Lion Head, Roman Head, War Eagle and Castle Front.

Slot machine boom

Slots became truly popular in the forties. Over time, they appeared in almost all casinos. At first they were preferred by women whose husbands and companions preferred to try their luck in traditional card and table gambling. After a few years, slots were the biggest money makers in casinos.

The first electromechanical machines called Big Bertha appeared in the fifties. They were equipped with a five horsepower engine. Twenty symbols were placed on each of the eight reels, and the return of the slot was 80%. These slots accepted higher denomination coins, making them attractive to high rollers.

The Money Honey slot machine from Bally Technologies was the first fully electronic slot machine. He appeared in the casino in 1963.

Computer Age

In the 1980s, Sircoma revolutionized the field with the release of computer-based video poker. It is believed that it was with this model that the era of modern slot machines began. Appearance in them

random number generators increased the level of confidence of players in slots. The principles of customer service, accepting money, making payments, and so on were gradually modified.

When the first online casinos opened online, slots became one of the first gambling games they offered. Currently, their range numbers in the thousands. It seems that in modern world Not a single significant cultural event takes place without the appearance of a slot machine dedicated to it.

A huge number of great slots are available in casinos that are included in the top ten casinos according to the Casinoz portal.