Slots and pokies are some of the oldest gambling games in the modern world. They saw their beginnings in the beginning of the 20th century, and have attracted a vast audience since. Here is a synopsis of slot machine history and how they have developed over the years.
The initial ever version of the slot machine was observed in 1891. Pittman and Sachs created a machine with five drums, each showing poker hand symbols. When players would win at these games, the machine would not spend; rather, the bar housing them would provide players with drinks.
It will be four more years before Charles Fey would create the version of the slot machine with which we have been most acquainted today. The machine provided players with cash payouts when it revealed matching symbols. The popularity of these games caught on very quickly, until anti-gambling groups enacted a ban on slot machines in the early 20th century.
The ban only lasted a couple of years, and it wasn’t a long time before slots became popular again in casinos. It had been during the 1950s that slot machines started to become popular all over the world. In CasinoSport88 , Australian gaming company Aristocrat took note of the new trend and decided to manufacture its own make of electronic gaming machines called pokies. The business’s first machine was called the ‘Clubman’.
Although it would be quite some time before we would see online slots, casinos in Las Vegas started making electronic slot machines, moving away from the typical, mechanical slot games that had recognition over time. These machines were better than mechanical slots and managed to get more difficult for individuals to cheat casinos. During this time period, electronic slots also saw the invention of the random number generator which made playing slots a lot more unpredictable.
Over the next few decades, slots would remain exactly the same. It wouldn’t be until the turn of the Century that people begin seeing the advent of online slots. The first online slots games were seen around 2001, when the first internet casinos went live. Companies like Microgaming got on the ground floor, creating some of the first online slot machines available to the public.
For the past a decade, slots have become one of the most popular games at online casinos, along with making up over 80% of land-based casino revenue. In the online world, players can find a huge selection of different online slots games, a lot of which feature fun and inventive themes. Players can also find a wide range of branded and themed slots games, featuring innovative gaming technology.