History of Slots

Slot Machines and the joys they bring have been around for over a century! Charles Fey, a car mechanic from California, developed the very first slot machine game in 1887. It was a three-reel machine with five different symbols – horseshoes, diamonds, spades, hearts and a Liberty Bell, for which the machine was named. Three bells in a row paid out ten nickels – the machine’s biggest payout.

The Liberty Bell slots game was a huge success and led to many more slot machines, also devised by Mr. Fey. Later, the Bell-Fruit Gum Company took his original concept and created a slots machine that dispensed gum, adding the BAR symbol (the name of their gum at the time). Who knew?

“Bugsy” Siegel (notorious Las Vegas pioneer) built the Flamingo Hilton on what is now called the Las Vegas Strip, and he invested in slot machines to fill space in the casino and keep the wives and girlfriends of big players occupied. At first they were nothing more than a novelty game, but the women took them more seriously.

The invention of the microchip in the 1960’s led to the beginning of nerd culture, as well as Bally developing the first electric slot machine in 1964. In addition to a coin payout, blinking lights and ringing bells let you know when you had won a jackpot, and a button replaced the slot machine arm.  

In the 1970’s, rock music broke into the scene and so did video slots. Walt Fraley invented a slots game called Fortune Coin, with no moving parts at all and played on a video screen.

Online slots would be the next chapter in the history of the game of slots, and now players who love slots can enjoy their favourite games out of the stuffy casinos and in the comfort of their own home.

Slot games have come a long way indeed. Learn more about the games Bingo.com has to offer on the Slots Descriptions page. And have fun!