Today, slot machines generate over 70% of all casino revenue worldwide, dominating the floors with massive screens and loud music.

Tracing the history of these machines reveals exactly how the modern gambling industry was built.

The Mechanical Era: The Birth of the Liberty Bell

The story begins in 1894 in San Francisco, when a mechanic named Charles Fey invented a machine called the Liberty Bell.

To win the ultimate jackpot of fifty cents, a player simply had to line up three Liberty Bell symbols across the single payline.

• When gambling was temporarily banned, the machines were altered to dispense fruit-flavored chewing gum instead of cash
• This era is exactly why we still use 'fruit symbols' like cherries and melons on modern slot machines today
• The famous 'BAR' symbol originally represented the corporate logo of the Bell-Fruit Gum Company

The Video and Digital Revolution

The entire industry changed in 1976 when a Las Vegas company called Fortune Coin introduced the very first video slot machine.

However, the introduction of the Random Number Generator (RNG) microchip proved that the digital games were completely fair and random.

Today, the slot machine continues to evolve, incorporating elements of mobile gaming and virtual reality to attract younger audiences.