With online casinos nowadays, anyone can access their favorite casino titles. Each operator makes sure
to offer games galore to satisfy a larger number of visitors coming to the site. They range from classics
to new versions of iconic games.
Most casino sites offer various games and all sorts of other interesting features. Some of them come with enticing bonus offers while others come with interesting VIP programs and mechanics.
There are even sites with high RTP rates for maximum returns that get the attention of many players.
Nowadays, there are all sorts of casino sites available online such as review sites, those with demo games, and even sites that cover various topics related to the genre such as news and interesting people and events.
Games are the reasons players choose to stay at an online casino. When it comes to games, no site is complete without its fair share of table games, live titles, and slots. Table and live games are quite similar and popular, but not as popular as slot titles.
These types of games make up a huge part of the game selection of any casino site. They come with various themes and features such as Wilds, Scatters, multipliers, free spins, and more. But before they were online games, they were machines with a simple set of mechanics.
The Birth of the Slot Machine
The tale of the slot machine begins in the 19th century. This was a time of innovation for the casino industry as there were already some casino machines present. However, most of them were table game machines such as poker games.
Charles Fey saw this as an opportunity to give casino fans something new and that’s why he came up with the Liberty Bell Machine.
California is the birthplace of the first slot machine. It featured three reels with five symbols.
The symbols were common for the time and included a horseshoe, diamonds, spades, hears, and a cracked Liberty Bell. By aligning three bells, you’d get a prize. It didn’t take long for the first slot to get popular and pretty soon you could see a Liberty Bell machine in the nearest saloons and bars in San Francisco.
Fey is the father of the slot machine, and if it weren’t for him then we wouldn’t have any slots today. His history is tightly intertwined with the events of the casino world throughout the years.
Early Challenges and Innovation
Even the early slot machines had trouble with regulations. Some countries had a friendly outlook on them, while others banned them from their jurisdictions. The issue with them was that they offered money prizes, which is why inventors got creative and came up with different kinds of slots.
In other words, they created the first fruit machines. These machines featured various fruit symbols and offered alternative prices such as fruit-flavored chewing gum. Cherries, lemons, and grapes became a staple of slot machines. These slots make up entire sections of slot machines today known as retro, classic, or fruit slots.
There was another notable change in slots in 1963. Bally Technologies created the first-ever electronic slot called Money Honey. Due to the usage of electricity, the machine offered a smooth gaming experience. It also opened the possibilities for multiple coin denominations and bigger prizes.
Fey took the first steps and Bally Technologies mixed tradition and modern technology to craft the future of slots. The thing about them is that they never stopped evolving.
The Expansion of Slot Machines
With the coming of the 20th century, slot machines grew more popular than ever. These were the times when physical casinos reigned supreme in the world of casino entertainment. Each of them had a bunch of slot machines that punters enjoyed playing. All they had to do was pull the lever or push the button to spin the reels, no skills or strategy required.
As years passed, slot machines became electronic and this brought the next cycle of the advancement of
slot machines. Electronic slots paved the way for new types of slots and introduced a new way of designing and playing them. Multiple paylines, bonus rounds, and other interesting features had players coming back for more.
Regulation and Controversy
Slots and other casino games have always been the subjects of controversy. Many people have raised concerns that playing slots may lead to problem gambling and addiction which is why governments have set up regulatory bodies to monitor casinos and their players, and tools to help punters prevent such issues.
The monitoring bodies are there to ensure that each game and casino adhere to the rules, and offer fair play. With the arrival of electronic slots, came another pivotal change in the casino industry. In the 80s, the first Random Number Generators came about. With these generators, outcomes in slots became truly random as no external factors could influence them.
Evolution of Slot Machine Technology
Slot machines never stopped evolving as they are parts of an evolving industry. Pretty soon the Internet came about and it didn’t take long for the slot machines to become online slots. Nowadays, there are lots of providers that offer such titles. They make up a huge part of the game selection of online casinos.
Mobile technology also evolved and now makes up a large part of the world of gaming. Its impact is present in the iGaming world as no provider creates slots without the mobile approach. All the slots are available on the go and players can enjoy them on devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Cryptocurrencies brought about the first crypto casinos and therefore the first crypto slot games that allowed crypto casino fans to enjoy them. Virtual reality also plays a role in the evolution of slot machine
technology.
Conclusion
From the Liberty Bell to the online slots of today, these types of casino games remain iconic masterpieces and essential parts of land-based and online casinos. Slots will continue to entertain punters in the future and evolve to offer an even better gaming experience.
