The first mechanical slot machine was the Liberty Bell

 

According to Legal Slots, the term slot77 asia machine was originally used for all vending machines as well as for gambling devices, it wasn't until the 20th century that the term became restricted to the latter. "Fruit machine" is one of the British terms for slot machines. One-armed bandit is another popular nickname.

Charles Fey & Liberty Bell

The first mechanical slot machine was the Liberty Bell, which was invented in 1895 by auto mechanic, Charles Fey (1862–1944) from San Francisco.

The Liberty Bell slot machine has three spinning reels. Diamond, spade and heart symbols are depicted around each reel, plus a cracked Liberty Bell image. A spin that results in three Liberty Bells in a row gives the biggest payoff, a total of fifty cents or ten cents.

The original Liberty Bell slot machine can still be seen residing in the Liberty Belle Saloon & Restaurant in Reno, Nevada. Other Charles Fey machines include the Power Draw, and the Three Spindle and Klondike. In 1901, Charles Fey invented the first draw poker machine. Charles Fey was also the inventor of the trade check separator, used in the Liberty Bell. The hole in the center of the trade check allows the detecting pin to distinguish counterfeit coins or slugs from genuine coins. Fey leased his machines to salons and bars on a 50/50 profit split basis.

Demand for Slot Machines is Growing

The demand for the Liberty Bell slot machine is huge.

Fey couldn't build it fast enough in her little shop. A gambling supply manufacturer tried to buy the manufacturing and distribution rights to the Liberty Bell, however, Charles Fey refused to sell. As a result in 1907, Herbert Mills, a Chicago arcade machine manufacturer, began manufacturing a slot machine, a clone of Fey's Liberty Bell, called the Operator Bell.

Mills was the first to place fruit symbols: lemons, plums and cherries on machines.

How the Original Slots Work

Inside every cast iron slot machine are three metal circles called reels. Each reel has ten symbols painted on it. A lever was pulled which spun the reels. When the reels stop, the jackpot is awarded if three of a kind symbols line up. Payouts in coins are then distributed from the machine.

Age of Electronics

The first popular electric gambling machine was the 1934 horse racing machine called PACES RACES. In 1964 the first electronic gambling machine was built by Nevada Electronic called the "21" machine. Others all electronic versions of gambling games followed including those for craps, roulette, horse racing, and poker (Dale Electronics' Poker-Matic was especially popular). In 1975, the first electronic slot machine was built by the Fortune Coin Company.