The history of slots in the modern era :

Slot machines have a history dating over 100 years. In this section we will focus on the modern history from the last 30 years and how the machines have progressed.

After the evolution of the original machine, microchips were used from the mid 1970’s. This had an advantage that casinos could no longer be accused of tampering with the reels. The flip side of this was that with the more advanced microchips being developed meant foul play could still occur. A common outcome was the ‘near miss’. This would cause the player to think that they were so close in winning and would spin again.

The 80’s saw a dramatic rise in what was already a popular game, and all of the casinos followed suit by a switch to microchip powered slots. Whilst the initial cost of the new machines was high, casinos could now rest easy due to minimal downtime and more dependable units.

With the introduction of video slots in the 80’s also, the usage of random number generators (RNG), were brought into play. RNG’s are an electronic generator that simulates the spinning of the reels on a video screen. This again has minimised the ‘moving parts’ of the machine as it is basically a mini computer. To alter the odds, depending on the type of game, more symbols are added or removed to the ‘virtual’ reels to increase or decrease odds.

Casinos can have between 70-80% of their revenue coming from just slot machines alone. This is a fantastic amount from such a simple game. A point that proves the addictive nature and fun that is experienced from playing. While the notion of slot machines may have appeared to have been streamlined so much, casinos still offer a lever to pull to spin the reels, like the original game.

The video slot machine has come on leaps and bounds, as software and graphics have improved each year. It wasn’t all plain sailing as the early days saw jumpy screens and poor quality. Nowadays we have huge pixel and refresh rates that equal the multi-million dollar console games’ graphics.

The modernisation of the game itself has quickened the playability and interactivity. The introduction of touch screens is a fairly recent development which allows the player to push the pseudo buttons on screen. As occasionally with evolution, the essence of the subject can be dampened, in this case virtual interference has caused some of the original games appeal to be lost.

Now we can see the fairly recent history of the slot machine. Its long a detailed story and the way the machines have evolved is an interesting one. Even from recent times, who would have thought the simple slot machine, even the first video ones, would have been transformed into what we see and play today. What is for certain Charles Fey, the inventor in 1880’s, wouldn’t believe his almost crude machine could possibly look like the modern day versions.