Affectionately known as one armed bandits slot machines literally today's gambling empires like Las Vegas and others. They are the staples of future casinos as well.

 

In 1895, a man by the name of Charles Fey introduced the original slot machine. In 1907, he then joined the Mills Novelty Company to fabricate what was called the Mills Liberty Bell. This machine highlighted a cast iron casing, with a  Liberty Bell cast on the front of it. The reel strips represented face cards from a card deck and even had a bell that rang with a win. Shortly after, the bell was eliminated. Most likely a mistake given most current slots are known for noise.

Three years later, the company launched a small change to the Liberty Bell by renaming it the Operator Bell. This newer slot boasted the very well known (today) fruit icons.

The machines were obviously very heavy and more than 30 thousand of them were built.

This changed five years later when the company built wooden machines, they even became less expensive to construct because of the use of wood. Then, in the 30s, the company made a variety of new changes to the machines that changed the industry forever.

To make its machines alluring to slot players, the company started building many new cabinet designs that were attractive to the eye. Each machine now had a theme, too.  In 1931 the Lion Head slot was born. Also in the same year, the War Eagle and the Roman Head were introduced. Two years later the Castle Front came along. Themes brought the machines to a new level.

Every year since then, thousands of different themed slot machines have been developed. The technology used to make the games has been astounding. Today's machines are computers with just about any type of theme you could imagine. Multiple lines and progressive jackpots (some linked between casinos with multi-million dollar pay-offs) are so attractive that players can't stay away!

Today, slot machines are new new craze with casino slots. One site that provides useful information about online casinos is onlinecasinoslotsguide.com.