Slot machines have become most ubiquitous of gambling devices found at casinos these days. Even more than other huge favorites like roulette. Many casinos have whole rooms given over entirely to slot machines, one of the most staggering is Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut, which has more than 7,000 slot machines with plans to get far more.

 

 

Slot machines are not found only in live casinos, they are now also found online at an online casino, to say nothing of McCarran Airport outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. Many people don’t realize these popular machines come from very humble beginnings.

Slot Machines: The Beginnings
The story of slot machines began at the start of the 20th Century, a German immigrant by the name of August Fey constructed a metal box containing three spinning reels while living in San Francisco, California. The three reels had various symbols on them, such as bells, and when three of the bells fell in line in the window, then the top prize was won.

The idea picked up quickly, and in less than a decade, Herbert Mills in Chicago, Illinois expanded upon the idea of the “Bell Machines,” by adding more symbols and expanding the window so players that missed hitting would see just how near to winning they came. Mills mass-produced these machines and sold them everywhere in the country. At first, these machines only paid in non-cash prizes in order to avoid gambling legislation, however, in 1931 gambling was legalized in the state of Nevada, and cash-payout slots suddenly began to appear in casinos throughout the state.