Guide to Slots game play and history.

The “Slot Machine” was born in the 1800’s. The Liberty Bell, invented by Charles Fey, a German immigrant who worked as a mechanic in San Francisco.

The Liberty Bell worked like today’s slot machines work, inside the casing there were 3 reels and 10 symbols on each reel. Back then the symbols were suits from playing cards, mostly, together with one liberty bell symbol on each reel. When the lever was pulled, a jackpot was paid if the same symbols came up on a single line on all 3 reels.

Slot machines were banned in 1902, but slot owners were innovative even then, and they changed the coin machines and offered candy, drinks, and gum, and they redecorated the wheel with pictures of the gum and fruit instead of the card suits. Cherries have always remained popular on slot machines even today, and the sticks of gum eventually mutated into the bars that you still see on common slot machines.

Slot machines started off as a novelty, and became popular in he 1970’s in casinos. The physical makeup of the machines were somewhat limited, as the biggest reels had only gave a 15,624 to 1 chance of hitting a jackpot. The top jackpot had to pay out considerably less in order for the casinos to make enough profit to maintained the machines on the floor.

In the 1980’s the random number generator became popular, and everything changed. The random number generator is basically a mini computer that simulates spinning reels through a computer program.

This created a slot machine revolution that changed the entire face of casinos, since the slot machines were powered by a computer program instead of a mechanism, the one-armed bandits’ arms became unnecessary, as the spin button activated the electronic random number generator, and the machines paid out a preset percentage.

This new technology has enabled the slot machine manufactures to produce a virtually unlimited number of entertaining and attractive slot machine games with great graphics together with bonuses such as free spins, re-triggering of free spins and second and even third screen pick and choose options. Slot machines now take up over 80% of many casinos’ floorspace and make up a similar amount of the casinos’ revenues and profits.

Slot Machines are found at each and every Land Based Casino but you can now find Online Slots every Online Gambling Casino (even some Online Casino South Africa) and Bingo Hall. Today the larger Online Casinos also offer progressive jackpot online slots – and for those who are just looking for a bit of entertaining fun, a number of Casinos also offer for you play online for free – the only requirement would be for the player to register with the Casino.

There is a slots guide to all pokies games which gives you the run down of how that particular game is played, what the bonus features are and in some cases the online casino will also give you the pay ratio relevant to that game.