History of Slots
The late 19th century saw the development of mechanical gaming devices in America which was inventing new products almost on a routine basis. The machines with games like Roulette, Dice and poker were created in New York in 1890’s along with the first primitive “nickel in the slot “devices.
The North Carolina and San Francisco areas were the first major markets for gambling and gambling apparatus. The technology was developed in the East and California was considered the epicenter of gambling activity. There were a whole lot betting games like horse races, bear fights, card games, poker, and other games of chance for punters to wager on. The San Francisco area was crowded with a number of bars and cigar stores. The government was corrupt and people’s lack of conscience towards human vices made it a natural spot for gambling. It was but natural that the nickel in the slot machine was born here.
The slot machine was invented by new age entrepreneurs like Charles Fey, Gustav Schultze, and Theodore Holtz who were involved in the electrical manufacturing business. Noticing the profits of slot machines, increased demand and people’s attitude towards them made these entrepreneurs to start manufacturing and placement of slots.
The Liberty Bell slot was developed by Charles Fey in the year 1899. This machine had three reels with various symbols, a coin tray at the bottom, and a handle on the right hand side with a pay board. The entire device was made of sheet metal in a brass frame. The slot was so advanced that it can be easily recognized by a new age player.
The Last decade of the 19th century saw the advent of a dozen slot manufactures in the San Francisco area. Increasing craze and demand had made this figure go up to 3200 licensed slot machines by the year 1909. The entire city structure was enveloped by this new fad. Saloons, cigar stores and other retail establishments housed many unscrupulous machines which were unlicensed. This led to legal problems and with time the reformist started to question the necessity of gambling slots. The first move was made in California which banned the use of slots in April 1909. The industry was still operational albeit illegally and soon started shifting to new areas like Chicago, Detroit and Newark.
The slot ban and increasing disposable income made the illegal gambling trade boom in the 1920’s. This was fuelled by the thousands of speakeasies which sold alcohol illegally. The speakeasies became a natural resource for slot machines which helped in entertaining their patrons. Lack of inspecting authority coupled with bribing of local authorities was the way to go for these establishments.
The “reform movement” of politicians weighed heavily on the slot machines. They were epitomized as evil with the hands of criminals behind them. The great depression had started and the slots became a punching bag through a movement which started in New York and San Francisco. The politicians discovered that slamming slot machines to create a good image for themselves was the order of the day. The mayor of New York Fiorella Laguardia got his image clicked as he flayed a slot machine in the picture. This was followed by a FIAT making the use of slots in New York State illegal. Taking a cue from this the other states followed suit.
The ride of ill luck for the gambling industry continued with the start of World War 1. The business had plummeted and obsolete slots were being sold for scrap. The slot machine manufacturers shut down production to produce weapons as demand hit new depths. To compound matters a 1950 legislation banned the shipment of slot machines to states where they were illegal. The only state which now remained a market was Nevada with parts of Idaho and Maryland.
The anti gambling and reformist lobby was gaining strength in the 1950’s. One of the few remaining market of Idaho was outlawed in 1953 leaving Nevada as the only gambling destination. Around the same time the adult Disneyland was gaining popularity with people in the southern Nevada desert. This once dusty strip of Railroad was soon to become the entertainment and gambling destination of the world.
The gambling industry once again started to gain importance with the advent of centers like Las Vegas and Reno where the number of slots increased from 16000 in 1960’s to over 200,000 in present day. There were also over a 100,000 slots present in other states. These slots had a wide array of games with amazing graphics and sound.
The modern slot player has multiple choices today. Apart from the basic three reel slot there are the progressives, five reels, nine reels and a number of other machines to choose from. The gambling industry has come a long way since its days of strife.
