Slots: from Liberty Bell to the Web

The question of why slot machines are so popular can be answered with another question: what other activity can provide you with fun, excitement and the chance to win millions of dollars, without needing any type of gaming skills?

Only slot machines can grant it. You can win some money in card games, but only if you sweat it out for several hours, and you are playing against a fish; if you find yourself on a table full of sharks and pros, well, good luck. Roulette is also somewhat easy to play, but the bets can be confusing, and the payouts nowhere near as big.

Slots, on the other hands, offer jackpots that no other casino game can match. Not only do they go up to the $20-$30 million level, but several have actually won. For plugging in a few coins, you get the chance to take home a life changing amount (not to mention having a lot of fun in the process).

The history of slots started in the 1880s with the creation of Liberty Bell, the very first slot machine, courtesy of a mechanic named Charles Fey. The success of his work spawned numerous imitators, and despite the efforts of authorities to turn ban it, became extremely popular.

Slots were initially restricted to saloons, but all that changed in the 1940s when Bugsy Siegel shipped several of them to his casino, the legendary Flamingo Hilton. Although they were at first intended to be no more than diversions and games of amusement for the female companions of the gamblers, they quickly overtook the other games in popularity.

From the 1950s to the 1970s slots were integrated into gambling establishments, and quickly attracted hordes of gamers, especially newcomers to casinos. In the 1980s and 1990s the advent of video slots increased their popularity even more, as the improving technology provided more sophisticated graphics, animation and sounds (which have become increasingly important to gamers).

The ensuing years saw a meteoric rise in the types of slots available and also the number of people playing them. Not only did they become staples in casinos, but in fact became the main attraction.

The online gambling explosion resulted in even more people being drawn to the game. Now one no longer needed to go to Las Vegas or Atlantic City to play. As the world becomes increasingly more interconnected through the Web, expect more people to play slots, and win.