What Was The First Online Slot Game?

Online slots are an integral part of the iGaming industry and casinos in general. They are considered to be the peak of evolution when it comes to slots considering the simplicity of the first editions, who date back in the late XIX century. Those were the beginnings when the first slot with automatic payout was invented. So, in this review we will fast forward 100 years from that period and give you a detailed review of the first online slot game. So, wonder what was the first online slot game? Stay tuned and find out right here!

First Slot Machine

So, before we dive into answering what was the first online slot game, we feel the need to explain to you, dear reader the first ever slot machine. Those were the humble beginnings that happened in the US, back in 1891 in New York, when Sitmann and Pitt developed the first slot machine. They gained extreme popularity, especially in bars and pubs. This slot was based on the poker game, and players would get payouts for landing poker combinations. It was developed in that manner that players had to choose 2 cards which were removed from the slot. Another interesting fact is that this slot didn’t give money as a prize, instead if the player would land a winning combo, he would get free drinks from the bars.

What Was The First Online Slot Game – Evolution

One thing is for sure – people adore to play games, whether that is online games, betting, video games, sports and all other sorts of games you can name. In this category, of course, you can include slots, as well as the online variation. For the first 70 or 80 years of their existence, the slot machines were purely mechanical. This was the case until 1964 when the first electromechanical slot was released. It was called “Money” and the development company which made history was Bally. In this slot, the reels were operated electronically, but in order to start the game, players had to pull the lever. This first electromechanical slot had an automatic payout which was up to 500 coins. This game has instantly gained extreme fame in every part of the world, which led to further popularization of slots and to the additional development of this technology and games in generals. This invention led to the removal of the lever couple of years later.

So, What Was The First Online Slot Game?

We mentioned the first electromechanical slot in the previous section. Well, approximately 30 years later with the increased dominance and popularity of the Internet, it was obvious that slots will be completely computerized, and eventually go “online”. In the beginning, online slot games included only roulette and blackjack, but soon enough slots were added as well. With this move, practically every aspect of the gambling industry had moved online. Slots became extremely popular on the world wide web, even more than traditional casino games as poker or roulette, and soon, they became an integral part of every online casino, as it witnessed the rise of this kind of business. Back then, the games remained extremely similar to land-based slot machines, and often times labeled as copies of them. However, with the progression of technology and software development, they became extremely different and progressed extremely fast. Nowadays, you can see online slot games with more than 5 reels and unconventional layouts, as well as hybrids between slots and bingo games. Ultimately, online slot games included more innovation in the gameplay, as they included many many more bonus features in the games, and the graphic design of the online slots had progressed massively.
Another fact related to the development of online slot games is the evergrowing number of software manufacturers and developers. Nowadays, there are over 100 software development companies, with Microgaming being the first one, or the prodigy in the world of online slots.

Slot Machine Symbols

When we talk about online slots symbols, we can categorize them into types of symbols that appear in online slot games. In this section, we will describe in detail the special symbols of online slot games.
So essentially, there are three kinds of special symbols that appear in the online slots game world: Wild symbols, scatter symbols and bonus symbols.
Wild Symbols – these are special symbols that basically replace all other symbols except for the scatter, and their purpose is to make ways for you to claim more wins.
Scatter Symbols – if you manage to land a given number of these symbols on an active payline, then you practically trigger the free spins, bonus features or other additional features based on the slot.

Free Online Slots

Online slots give you the chance to play for free. Playing the so-called demo version of slots is no different than playing the real video slot game. Once you open the demo, you can see it looks and plays just like the real money game. The main difference between the two versions of the slot machine is that the demo does not require a deposit to play them while you bet for the real version with your own money. The demo version of slot games has both advantages and disadvantages. They offer the opportunity to test the gameplay for free and see how often the bonus features are triggered before you go to the actual game version. That way you can see if the gameplay is interesting enough for you and how you can win the biggest payouts. You also have the option to find information about the payout of the symbol combination in the paytable of the game. Here are some additional pieces of information to help you better understand the rules of the game.

What Was The First Online Slot Game – Overview

So, there you have it! This review covers the evolution of slots and how they “invaded” the online world.

Now, it is up to you to try one and see how the gameplay is. We recommend you try it exactly here at SlotsWise. Good Luck!