The gambling past is closely intertwined with human evolution due to the fact that even in ancient times people used to get together to gamble. Although some players tend to think gambling appeared on the scene not long ago, the real state of things is that the industry originated centuries ago. It should be noted that almost every nationality, in this way or another, was connected to some gambling activities throughout history. From Chinese card games created in the 11th century to modern land-based and online casinos, the gambling market has been flourishing for all this time.
The History of Slot Machines
Despite the well-known fact both Internet and brick-and-mortar casino venues are abundant with all kinds of real money game projects, no one would argue slots are the most popular casino games across the world. But how has the slot industry developed from its very inception? And what are the reasons for being in high demand among newbies and fervent gamblers? This is an in-depth look at the slot machine background:
- 1891. The initial slot machine was devised in New-York
- 1895. Charles Fey came up with the true variation of a slot game
- 1902. All slot machines were forbidden to play. Nevertheless, companies carried on producing the Liberty Bell slot
- 1976. The world saw the inception of the first video slot game in California
- 1996. The Williams Interactive company invented the slot machine giving punters special bonuses.
The Initial Slot Game
In the year 1891, the American company Sittman and Pitt created the first-ever variation of a slot game. It featured 50 playing cards and 5 drums overall. This game was available to play at multiple bars around the city and cost just a nickel. To begin playing, a punter used to insert a coin, pull a lever, and then the game lined up poker hands. As there weren’t any sort of direct payout, a bartender used to reward gamblers with drinks and cigarettes.
The Real One
Most casino players consider Charles Fey the original creator of a slot game we know and play today. The striking fact is that no one knows for sure when the slot was invented. It is commonly suggested to have been devised in 1895, just four years later after the Sittman and Pitt game version. Fey made automatic payout possible by removing drums and adding 3 reels. Besides, the inventor removed playing cards as well and substituted them with 5 symbols: hearts, spades, diamonds, bells and horseshoes.
Ban of Slots
By 1902, regretfully, American authoritative bodies forbade all slots. Nevertheless, some companies carried on producing the Liberty Slot game. For as long as it was permitted to reward punters with real cash, developers introduced fruit slot machines. With fruit symbols on the reels, the luckiest players received gums and sweets with corresponding flavours. In 1907, a manufacturer from Chicago named Herbert Mills came up with an Operator Bell game. During that time, the well-known BAR symbol was introduced as well.
Video Slot Era
More than 65 years passed when the first-ever video slot machine came to light. The Fortune Coin company manufactured the game in Las Vegas. The initial test of the game was conducted in the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas on a 19-inch TV screen. Following multiple modifications preventing cheating, the Nevada Gaming Commission approved the slot. It became extremely famous in Las Vegas.
Brand New Video Slots
In 1996, Williams Interactive invented the ‘Reel Em’ slot game. It also featured the bonus game on another screen. Following the activation of the bonus, the game transported punters to the other screen with bonuses to claim. At that time, slots became quite popular and accumulated no less than 70% of the income for operators. The drawback was that more than half of the space wasn’t available because of slot machines. That was the point when Internet technologies gave you the opportunity to play slots online from the comfort of your home.
Present Things
We all know that because of the coronavirus pandemic people around the world have been losing their jobs. Surprisingly, the online casino industry has thrived. The Internet gambling domain has taken the advantage of people sitting at their homes doing nothing. More than that, land-based casinos have to close down because of the pandemic.
Last year’s analysis showed that the gambling domain reached a whopping economic value of more than $465 million. And the sky’s not the limit for that sum to grow even further.
Future
To oversee the online gambling future is as complicated as learning what the origins are of each game devised. The current attention is being paid to the mobile online casino market. Plenty of casinos from all over the world are trying to come up with modern technological advancements to ensure punters could relish playing their beloved slots on portable devices. This just shows how far the industry has come and how versatile it is.
Those casino aficionados that have a craving for online slots and other game projects might have already noticed that AR and VR technologies are taking initial steps towards the bright future. We are sure that the next couple of years will be devoted to the production of virtual and augmented reality games. Just imagine playing exhilarating poker or any other enthralling card table game with your friends while being online. Isn’t that great? Although this isn’t happening broadly today, it will undoubtedly be available very soon.
In Conclusion
What are your predictions concerning the online gambling industry? Will it blossom as rapidly and extensively as today?
