History of Slot Machines - 1930s to the Modern Day

April 11, 2009 | Article Category: Slots

0 Comments The Silent Bell and Other Improvements
Of the many improvements that were done to slot machines over the years, an important development was removing the noise from the slot machines. This was achieve in with the Silent Bell of the 1930's which was just what the name proclaims - silent!

The double jackpot was introduced as the new payout system, which meant that players could hit a jackpot one after the other. Themed cabinet designs were introduced to make the machines look more appealing to players. These themes included the War Eagle, the Lion Head, the Roman Head and the Castle Front.

The gooseneck coin slot which had become the norm was changed to a different system, in which coins could be seen inside the slot machine moving in a row. This allowed the managers to see that real coins were in fact being used while at the same time improving the look of the slot machine.

Over time, gambling was made legal in Nevada and casinos installed slots as an additional game although the main games played were at the tables. The Flamingo Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas introduced slots in the 1940's. At that time, slots were often seen as a source of entertainment for women to play while men gambled at the card tables.

1960's - Electronic Slots
Slot machines in the earlier part of the 1900's were operated by pulling a lever or arm on the side of the machine, which is where the name "One Arm Bandit" comes from. It was somewhat easy for players to cheat when using this system.

Electronic slot machines were created in the mid 1960's. They were more secure than the older mechanical slot machines, which allowed casinos to offer larger prizes.

1975 Onwards - Video Slots and More
In 1975, the first video slot device was used in Las Vegas. Players were, at first, hesitant to play the video slots because they could not see the actual reels spinning. A few years later, in the 1980's, the video slot machines became popular with the International Game Technology's video draw poker machine.

Players used to buy tokens to play the slot machines, however, in the 1990's, players were able to use bills, which meant that less time was wasted by going to get tokens, and more time was spent playing slots, which increased profits for casinos.

By the 1990's, slot machines had become popular with both men and women and began to bring in more revenue for casinos than the table games did. They can bring in more than two-thirds of revenues in casinos.

Random Number Generators
In the 1980's, the random number generator was introduced. The RNG is a computer based generator that simulate the spinning reels of slot machines. This allowed for more variation and larger reels. One arm bandits became outdated, however many casinos still offered players a lever to pull to begin their go.

Online Slot Machines
Many slot players have moved over from playing in land-based casinos to online casinos, where new versions of slot games and a very large choice of themes and types of games abound. Players can play the same (and more) land-based casino slots in the comfort of their own homes. Sound effects and graphics and the constant release of new online slot games keeps the fun coming!

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