Slot machines or slots are the most popular game in casinos, even more than roulette and card games. In addition, there are also online versions, such as those that can be played at Ultra Casino Online and there are even gambling houses that work exclusively with slot machines. Taking into account its great success, where does the name “slots” come from and which were the first ones that were created?
What was the origin of these machines?
Believe it or not, these machines are already more than a hundred years old, because they were invented in 1895 by Charles Fey, who lived in San Francisco, United States. The name of this first machine was “Liberty Bell”, which literally means “Bell of Liberty”. This was due to the designs of the symbols on the spinning reels that gave the combinations.
The operating mechanism of this first machine was very simple, it had 3 reels with 5 symbols each. When all 3 reels lined up with the same symbol, the machine awarded a prize. If the matching symbols were bells, the machine awarded the jackpot, which consisted of ten nickels.
Why are they called slots?
To make these machines work, a coin or token had to be placed in it and a lever had to be lowered. From the slot in which the coins are inserted derived the name in English, “slots”, which literally mean slots.
For its part, the name in Spain is “slot machine”. The term “bitches” refers to the coins and comes from the Middle Ages, since the 10 cent coins had a figure of a lion on the front. It is for this reason that, by having to insert a coin every time you wanted to make a play, these machines began to be called “slot machines” in a more familiar way.
complexification
Later, two more reels were added and the number of symbols on each reel was increased. This allowed not only to have more possible combinations, but also to achieve more profits in fewer plays or by changing the dynamics of the game.
However, the big change came when electronic devices were inserted to control the machines instead of mechanical or analog systems. When it comes to “video slots”, as physical machines with a digital screen are called, the following types can be found:
- Programmed machines: after a number of plays they offer a prize that can be accumulated depending on the values of each play (the higher the plays, the more possibilities) and the game time.
- Slot machines: their prize depends on a random factor, although they also offer extra combinations depending on the type of game. In addition, mini-games can sometimes be triggered randomly, increasing the prizes you get.
And how do virtual slots work?
In online casinos you can find virtual slots of all kinds that work just like those in casinos, but have other characteristics in terms of their layout. In principle, by having a virtual support, they can have more complex animations than physical machines that are a bit rougher.
An important difference within platforms such as Ultra Casino Online is that other virtual payment methods are accepted that are often not accepted by physical banks, such as cryptocurrencies or virtual wallets. As well as they can also find more variety of slots because they have many more themes and can take much better advantage of the different options that are presented.
So, all in all, there are many types of slots that can be found that are quite interesting. Depending on the topics that interest them most and the modality that is most comfortable for them, they will be able to find different alternatives.
