The first slot machine was created out of San Francisco car mechanic George Fey’s basement in 1895. It was a simple, mechanical machine with three spinning reels, called the "Liberty Bell," with a maximum payout of fifty cents. These machines were initially seen as a novelty, but were popular nonetheless, and Fey created several later models that new casinos on the Las Vegas Strip began to incorporate into their design. In the early 1930s, as slot machines became more widespread, there was growing anti-slot machine sentiment, instigated mostly by the temperance movement. It became politically popular to be anti-slot machine, and slot machines were in fact banned in several states including Nevada for some time.

The Liberty Bell

By this time, however, several large corporations were in the business of manufacturing slot machines, including Mills, Jennings, and Pace and Bally Technologies, and the anti-slot machine movement soon lost momentum. Mechanical slot machines were commonplace in casinos by the 1950s, as the Las Vegas Strip was populated with more and more large casinos. In 1964, Bally introduced the first electromechanical slot machine, which was immediately adopted in major casinos due to its ability to dispense higher payouts and difficulty to cheat or manipulate. As the machines became even more prevalent, they were viewed less and less as novelties and more as standard gambling attractions. Variants on the standard slot machine were introduced, with sounds, lights, and themes.

Slot machines were continually improved upon and elaborated into the 1970s, when another major change took place as manufacturers introduced fully electronic, microchip controlled slot machines using random number generators to produce the combination of spinning reels. Today, the slot machine is an incredibly refined technology, explicitly designed to deliver maximum entertainment to the user and maximum profit to the casino. They are known to be the most profitable gambling game in casinos, bringing in 70% of an average casino's income.

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Tracing Technology and its Effects on Slot Machines

The Psychology of the Slot Machine

Analysis of Casino Design

Casinos and Economics

Social Implications

$pringfield: Gambling and Slot Machines in Popular Culture

Our Experience with an Online Slot Machine Simulator

The Slot Machine: Concluding Remarks

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