The History of the Slot Machine

In the year 1895, Charles Fey invented the slot machine. In 1907, on joining with the Mills Novelty Company, the manufacturer of the Mills Liberty Bell, he continued to improve his primary invention. In its original, the Liberty Bell consisted of cast iron feet with toes confined in a cast iron container. Elaborate decorated feet replaced the removed toes in more improved models.

The playing cards king, queen and jack were displayed on the machine in reel strips. At first a bell was built into the machine – which was later removed – which rang announcing you had succeeded to ring up a winning combination. However, a bell has been re-embedded into the latest slot machines today and uses the original idea of ringing to announce that the jackpot has been hit by the player.

Thus the Liberty Bell represents the primary model upon which the modern slot machines in the United States are based, and in assorted mechanically games its primary format is still in use today. The original uncomplicated mechanized processes comprising twenty symbols mounted on three old-fashioned reels have metamorphosed into processes comprising hundreds of symbols mounted on five revolving reels controlled and maintained by electronic microchips.

The Mills Novelty Company improved on the Liberty Bell and the Operator Bell was initiated in 1910. A coin insertion funnel in a gooseneck design and the renowned symbols of fruit are today still displayed in the latest machines. Weighing more than one hundred pounds, these slots made of cast iron were produced for more than thirty thousand machines.

When Mill decided to introduce the slot machine comprising cheaper wood cabinets, the epoch of machines made of cast iron terminated in 1915. The Mills Novelty Company introduced some further modifications to its slot machine format at the beginning of the 1930s which created a revolution in the industry of slot machines.

The first modification aimed at reducing the machine’s noise. That’s the reason why the silent bell became the machine’s nickname in the 1930s. The second innovation, known as the double jackpot, enabled players to win speedily two games one after the after.

Mills created a run of themed features enhancing the cabinet designs that stood out with prominent colors. In this manner the machines evolved into appealing and unforgettable devices attracting players. The Lion Head was the first such feature in 1931. This was followed later on in the year by the Roman Head and the War Eagle, and the Castle Front was introduced in 1933.