What are slot machines?

Slots machines, also known as Cherries, Fruities and Pokies, are not at all a recent phenomenon. The first slot machine in the world was made at the end of 19th century in the United States. New York was the birthplace of the predecessor to the first thing to ever closely resemble a slot machine. Edward McLoughlin designed a coin-operated machine that worked on the ‘wheel of fortune’ principle, except the patron would select a number and then the dial would spin and stop at a random number.

The Origins of Slots Machines

The McLaughlin machine does not answer the question what are slot machines, because it didn’t quite work like one. There are few other contraptions that inch closer to the first full-blown slot machines from the 50’s and 60’s. The first attempt to mimic a game of poker was undertaken by a Frank Smith. He made a five-reel machine that displayed the cards. Pulling the lever would result in the machine spinning the reels and displaying a combination of cards, which could contain a winning hand. This machine did not reach any popularity, but the one that did was made by the Sittman and Pitt company in Brooklyn New York.

However the Sittman and Pitt machine wasn’t able to deliver the payout on its own, so it didn’t generate any buzz and fell out of favor. Then came the Horseshoe Slot Machine that was developed by Gustav Friedrich Wilhelm Schultze, and his friends Theodore Holtz and Charles Fey. The three worked at a telephone servicing company which they had founded. Their slot machine also could not deliver the payout on its own. Charles Fey invented the first automatic payout in 1895, two years after the first Horseshoe machine.

He went on to establish his own slot machine shop in 1897 to be able to deliver these machines, which gained popularity among bargoers. A year later he made the most popular of his company’s slot machines, called the “Liberty Bell Slot Machine,” which included five symbols and had three reels. Unfortunately, Fey’s business was caught by a fire and burned down in the disastrous San Francisco earthquake of 1906, but his machine lived on and went on to copied widely by Fey’s competitors and tinkerers. The knowledge for developing slots machines expanded beyond the Bay area and was open to more experimenting and innovation.

The First Real Slot Machine In The World

The first mass-produced slot machine ever was the one made by Herbert Mills, who had sourced the design by one Mathias Larkin. Both men were contemporaries of Charles Fey, so their paths inadvertently became crossed, and marred in controversy. Precisely, Fey was contacted by Mills who has been buying up slots machine technology, and eventually he sourced the technology of the Liberty Bell machine and its subsequent editions up to that point. However, Mills and Fey’s accounts differ, with the latter claiming that Larkin had copied his machine’s mechanics, while the former claimed that Fey willingly traded the design in exchange for the first 50 mass-produced machines which he would own. At any rate, the Mills Liberty Bell became readily available through his assembly lines.

Between this period and until the end of World War Two, slots machines had minor improvements and not much changed until the 60’s when Ballys made the first electro-magnetic slots machine. Later that version was upgraded with electronics and that was the first ever modern slot machine which went on to replace the old-fashioned three and five-reel machines. Las Vegas became the mecca of slots machines and these went on to capture a bigger share of the gaming revenues in that city year after year, finally reaching close to half of all revenues by the 1980’s. Today, revenues from slots machines, including their modern cousins, the video slots, are ringing up massive volumes and two-thirds of the market.

What Are Online Slot Machines?

That is the answer to the matter of what are slot machines, however, we have covered only one aspect of these contraptions. Enter the Internet, completely shuffling the gambling industry. What used to be fortresses of slots are today challenged by online fortresses by a number of large-scale operators. There are hundreds of thousands of online slots players in larger individual countries such as the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Australia, Canada and the United States. The Asian market is also thriving with millions of people accessing online casinos.

How Many Slots Machines Are There Online

There are currently well over 4000 online slots and more are churned out each day by more than 100 software developers. What are online slots may is a question that is slightly different than the same pertaining to land casino slots. Online slots don’t require any casing units and their Return to Player outcome is much higher. Why is that? Simply because the land casino slots are fitted in gaming cabinets and casing units that draw more power then your computer or mobile telephone. Then there is the question of rent and real-estate costs. Online slots can be accessed from any place that has a Internet connection, be it WiFi or Data. Accessibility and availability are two additional reasons for the mass popularity of online slots.

So with the ease of access and better edge for the players compared to the slots at land casinos, the players are naturally drawn to the new generation of gaming. The new slots are cutting edge affairs, and many of them come with animated sequences, bonus games and in-game action. There are also progressive slots that offer enormous jackpots that are shared across a number of affiliated or unaffiliated casinos. These slots come from the same developers and provide prizes to the tune of millions.

Concluding Remarks

So, naturally, the next question would be where to play online slots? There are hundreds of casinos, so how to pick the best? Why not start right here? The Secret Slots slots site and casino has more than 300 slots. Many of these are cutting edge slots by leading developers from around the world. There are jackpot slots too and games with significantly better Return to Player (RTP) amounts. The first step would be to claim the welcome bonus.

So claim your welcome bonus and pick your online slot that you can play anytime you want.