The History of Casino Slots

Slot games have been popular in casinos all over the world for more than a hundred years. Nowadays, you can enjoy spinning the reels in the comfort of your home, at any time. Casino.com offers wide selection of fast, fun slot games with big-money payouts. Get playing now for your chance to be a winner!

The Origin of Casino Slot Games

It is believed that the first slot game was invented in 1895 by Charles Fey, a San Francisco-born car mechanic. The machine comprised three reels featuring five different symbols; hearts, diamonds, spades, horseshoes and the Liberty Bell, which gave the machine its name.

To play, a nickel was inserted and players would pull a lever to spin the reels. The aim of the game was to get three Liberty Bell symbols in a row, resulting in what was then the biggest possible payout – ten nickels.

Slot Machines Hit the Casinos

Once Charles Fey’s invention had made it into the local bars and saloons, the demand for them grew quickly. But with no help and only a small shop to work in, he simply couldn’t keep up. Soon casino games manufacturers were desperate to get their hands on the rights to the manufacture and distribution of the Liberty Bell, but Fey refused to sell them.

In 1907, a manufacturer of arcade games from Chicago built and sold their own version of Fey’s slot machine called the Bell Operator. Instead of hearts, diamonds, spades, horseshoes and the liberty bell symbols, the reels featured images of fruits such as cherries, plums and lemons. This later became known as a "fruit machine."

By 1934 the slot machine had changed dramatically, both in the way it looked and how it functioned. The first machine to be taken into the electronic age was an animated horserace game called Paces Races. Then in 1964, games manufacturers Nevada Electronic launched a more sophisticated machine called the 21. Soon, people across the globe were able to play their favorite casino games, such as roulette and poker, at the touch of a button.

Casino.com is one of the world’s premier online casinos. To start playing online slot games at Casino.com, download our software and create a real-money account. If you’ve never played slots before, make sure you read our Rules of Slots page and How to Play Slots page first. If you have any questions about our slots games, please contact a member of our customer service team. We hope you enjoy playing slots at Casino.com – the only place to play.

Casino Slot Game Facts

Slot machines originally used spinning reels.
Modern slot machines use digital displays.
Every player’s result is unique.
Slot games are incredibly easy to understand, even for beginners.
Slot machines are one of the oldest ways of gambling in casinos.