Many people associate the word “online casino” with pokie machines. This is not accidental: slots occupy a large part of the game assortment of most virtual gambling establishments. Today in Australian online gambling there are at least a few tens of thousands of titles of slot machines, which differ in built-in in-game features, mechanics, design, payouts and other parameters.
Slot machines did not immediately appear in the form in which they exist now. Before acquiring a modern look, online slots have gone a long way from ordinary mechanized machines to complex software solutions. In this article we will try to go this way together and explore the history of the emergence and development of slot machines.
History of pokies
In general, gambling existed long before the first pokie machines appeared. Even in medieval Europe played in old versions of some modern gambling entertainment. However, despite this fact, it was slot machines that made a breakthrough in the field of online gambling.
The first semblance of pokies was created by Sittman and Pitt in mid 1891 in New York City. It would be a mechanical device where the user was encouraged to pull a special lever to start the game. The game remotely resembled modern poker: inside the device were 50 playing cards, from which the user needs to collect the most optimal combination.
This game was presented in several bars and hotels around New York. But the machine could not pay out. At the expense of winnings, users could try free tea or light a free cigarette, as well as receive other small services.
The emergence of the oldest classic pokies
Although the Sittman and Pitt game strongly resembled slots, they still cannot be called full-fledged pokies. The first classic mechanical slots came much later. This was the Liberty Bell Slot, created by Charles August Fey. This pokie gained quite a wide popularity throughout the U.S. and was presented in dozens of land-based casinos.
The first fruit slot machines
When telling the history of slots, it is impossible not to mention Herbert Mill. This is the man who in 1902 created the world’s first fruit slot machine. In those days, slots were officially banned by the U.S. government, because of which many manufacturers stopped developing machines. But Herbert Mill was one of the few who continued to develop this industry.
Why are Herbert Mill pokies called fruit slots? The fact that they provided winnings not in the form of real money, but in the form of fruit, gum and sweets, the images of which stopped on the reels of the slot.
Such interesting mechanics allowed Herbert Mill to make exciting slots, and at the same time bypass government blockades on the receipt of winnings from slot machines.
The new slot machine gained a huge popularity across the country in the early days was presented mainly in physical casinos located in Chicago.
The emergence of the oldest electromechanical slot machines
Electromechanical gadgets began to firmly enter human life. This trend has touched the market of slot machines. The creator of the first electromechanical slot was a man named Bally. In 1963, he created an electromechanical slot machine, which was better known as Money Honey. It was a three-reel slot, the activation of which was carried out by pulling a special mechanical lever. The development of this device marked the beginning of the emergence and development of “one-armed bandits”. This name has taken root perfectly and in our days.
The development of audio and video technology has also had a great impact on the market of slot machines. So, in 1976, an American company Fortune Coin presented to the general public the newest at the time slot machine. Its peculiarity was that on its screen instead of the traditional mechanical drums showed real symbols.
The appearance of such a slot machine set new trends in the slots market. Slot machines began to spread all over the world, and casinos, bars and clubs began to actively offer them to their customers. Fortune Coin was later bought by IGT, which today develops online slots with advanced in-game features.
The emergence of the oldest online slot machines
The Internet gained widespread popularity in 1883. This event had a tremendous impact on the development of the online gambling industry. Thus, in 1996, the first online casinos appeared, which a year later began to offer users online slot machines.
Another significant event of that time is the fact that virtual gambling establishments began to accept bets with real money. Therefore, it can be argued that this is where the development of the online gambling industry began.
The first slot machines in the online version were very similar in appearance to their mechanical predecessors. They offered the same features and had an identical design.
Online slots quickly gained great popularity among gambling enthusiasts, which led to a massive growth in the number of virtual gambling establishments.
Virtual slot machines continued to transform. Thus, gradually began to appear slots with a large number of wins, with the function of buying a bonus, in the mechanism of Megaways and other features. This process continues to this day.
With the emergence of online slots have a great development of random number generators. This is a special computer algorithm that produces a random result based on the results of each rotation of the reels in the slot machine.
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Features of modern slots and the future of the online gambling market
Modern slot machines are developed using HTML5 technology, so users can easily run them on any mobile devices. This feature has had a great impact on the mobile gambling market.
Now, the online gambling market continues to grow, and slot machines are developing along with it. Experts predict that future technologies will undoubtedly have a great impact on slot machines. These factors include the development of artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality technologies, 5G internet and others.
Major software vendors are already fully exploring the possibility of introducing modern technology in the process of creating slot machines. Examples include NetEnt, Microgaming and other online casino software developers.
FAQ
Can I play slots in demo version?
Yes, many virtual gambling establishments offer demo versions of online slots. You can play them without funding your online casino account.
What companies supply slot machines for online casinos?
Well-known suppliers of software for online casinos are NetEnt, Microgaming, Betsoft, BGaming and other suppliers.