Slot games have been popular since the very first version burst onto the scene in the 1890s. Since then, the demand for greater technology has increased the demand for new and more exciting Slots, with incredible mechanics and state-of-the-art graphics making gameplay even more unique, bonus rounds and bigger payouts offering more immersive adventures than ever before! In fact, slot machines are so popular that not only can you play online Slots, but 70% of the average land-based casino’s income is generated by the machines!
Join us as we discover just what goes on behind the scenes of slot machines – uncovering the inner mechanics and watching the evolution of how the world’s most popular casino games really work.
The first slot machines
The very first version of a slot alf casino bonus codes machine was created by a New York based company called Sittman and Pitt in 1887. The Poker machine could be played by simply pulling a lever, which would stretch a spring, causing the five drums and 50 playing cards to spin, until they eventually stopped. Despite the outcome being completely random, the physical action of pulling a lever gave players the sense that they could control the outcome. The aim was to line up a Poker hand on the reels, but the house edge was increased as two cards were removed – the ten of spades and jack of hearts – halving the odds of getting a royal flush. Winning players would be rewarded with prizes such as free drinks and cigars from the bar in which the machine was found.
Charles Fey is often accredited with creating the first slot machine, however, and in 1894, he did just that. The Liberty Bell was the first machine that would allow automatic payouts. It featured three reels and a combination of five different symbols – hearts, diamonds, spades, horseshoes and a liberty bell. The highest payout was awarded for landing three bell symbols on the reels, and the game was still played by pulling a lever.
Fruit Machines
In 1902 slot games saw an unfortunate ban, but manufacturers didn’t stop producing their machines. Due to this, the era of the fruit machine was born. The machines, based on The Liberty Bell, used fruit symbols to correspond to the flavour of sweets or gum that could be won, and the prizes were just that – gum! Many of the symbols we see on slot machines today originate from the popular fruit machine era, and machines were commonly found in shops and post offices.
Becoming digital
The trusty lever and spring mechanism worked perfectly well until 1964, when the first electromechanical slot, Money Honey, was released. This was the first slot with a bottomless hopper, allowing payouts of up to 500 coins. In 1976 the first video slot was developed. The game used a modified 19-inch Sony television for the display, and quickly became popular on the Las Vegas Strip.
At the time, The Strip was the heart of casino gaming and the fantastical Hollywood lifestyle, but in 1996, the highly-anticipated world of the casino moved online, and slot games quickly became available to anyone with internet access.
But the question remains: how do digital slot machines really work?
Random Number Generators (RNG)
It’s fairly easy to wrap your head around the idea of a spring stretching, causing the reels to turn, but it’s the complicated code behind our screens that became some sort of untrustworthy mystery. Well, fear not, because the inner-workings of online Slots are actually pretty simple. Despite technology offering bonuses, more mechanics and a variety of themed games, gameplay is kept fair and regulated with the help of a Random Number Generator (RNG).
Every second, the game’s RNG is generating a unique combination of numbers and symbols, creating an undecipherable, unique pattern that makes the outcome of the spin as random as can be. The very second you press ‘spin’ is the very second the outcome is decided. It doesn’t matter how frequently a symbol has appeared throughout the game, it’s sort of like an automatic shuffling system. So, no matter if you win or lose, you can find comfort in knowing that the game truly is based on luck.
