While there are a huge number of different machines in existence today, each of them share a common ancestor. They start with the first machine invented by Charles Fey, an immigrant from Bavaria, in the early 1900s. Some say he was August Fey. Fey was a mechanic and skilled locksmith, and he created a design that is still in use today: a set of wheels with different symbols on them and payouts that occur when certain combinations of symbols fall out.
Charles Fay probably didn’t know that the Liberty Bell slot machine he designed in 1895 would become so popular in casinos decades later. Since then, the slot machine has undergone many changes and innovations. One of the most notable and popular improvements to Fay’s invention was the video slot.
These first slot machines had wheels with familiar suits of cards from a regular card deck, such as hearts, spades, diamonds, and crosses. They also had other symbols such as horseshoes, stars and bells. When three bells or other symbols fell in a row on Fairy slot machines, you would get a big reward. For this reason, his invention was also called the “ringing machine” or the “Liberty Bell”. Subsequently, all slot machines were called this because the name was firmly established.
Fey slot machines soon spread across the country and were installed mostly in saloons and pool halls. In 1912, the state of Nevada legalized these machines as vending machines as long as they did not pay out cash rewards. This marked the beginning of a period in which slot machines gave out gumballs and other prizes to winners. The icons on the reels represented different fruits that corresponded to different types of chewing gum. Some of these symbols are still used to this day. In addition, many people still refer to slot machines as “fruit machines”. The original slot machine design, which offers a bonus for a three cherry drop on many modern slot machines, has survived.
The original of the first slot machine can still be seen at the Liberty Bell Restaurant in Reno, Nevada, USA. Draw Power, 3 Spinde and Klondike slot machines are other achievements of Charles Fay. Charles Fay invented the poker machine in 1901. He also invented the divider that was used in the Liberty Bell. With a hole in the middle, the control device could distinguish fake coins and tokens from the real ones. Fay was also the first to come up with the idea of leasing his machines to restaurants on a fifty percent profit sharing basis.
