The Life of Slot Game Through Electronic Advancements: How Technology Has Revolutionised These Casino Classics

Slot machines have come a very long way since their humble beginnings back in the late 1800s. The improvement in technology has played a huge role in revolutionising these games, thus helping them to become one of the most popular with players across the entire casino industry.

From how they first appeared to how many of them look now, there are a number of ways in which technology has influenced their evolution, despite the fact that the concept still remains the same more than a century later.

The Early Days: Creation of the first slot machines & Charles August Fey’s impact

The first instance of a slot machine was in the late 19th century when Sittman and Pitt managed to come up with the idea of creating one. The New York-based firm had managed to create a version that consisted of five drums and featured 50 playing cards on it.

While that concoction was ground breaking at the time and gave individuals a different way to play a gambling-based game, it was not until a fair few years later when Charles August Fey managed to come up with the Liberty Bell; a mechanic slot that changed everything that everybody ever knew about this game and its influence is still felt widely today.

He created the iconic Liberty Bell game machine in 1898 when he used a number of mechanical features and the technology available to him to create it. The machine was very different to the original slot that was created, as this version had featured just three reels, and began providing players with payouts when they were able to successfully land a combination of two or three symbols on the reels.

Fey’s revolutionary ideas continue to be experienced today

Fey’s ideas were certainly revolutionary for the slot game machine and the casino industry as a whole, as we can still experience many of the changes he provided today, more than a hundred years after his invention.

Technology, though, has not stopped, and developers have found numerous ways to create newer and ingenious versions of these classic games, as they continue to retain their popularity with punters all over the globe.

In the 1960s, the first electronic slot machine was created by Bally Manufacturing, which subsequently replaced the classic Liberty Bell machines that were being widely used. These electronic machines also helped to pave the way for what was about to come, as they had the capability to support higher payouts, as well as feature technological innovations.

The boom of internet slots and new innovations

The creation of the internet further paved the way for newer technological advancements to be made in the history of the slot game machine. Today, players are able to enjoy a range of different mechanics that simply were not possible when the game was first introduced.

Online slots are packed with bonus features such as free spins, which have made them very appealing. A number of bonuses, such as extra spins, are now offered to attract new players by operators in order to get them spinning the reels, while there are improvements in the technology used in order to make them fair.

Algorithms such as a Random Number Generator (RNG) are now used widely in these games to ensure fairness and provide players with the knowledge that these games are not rigged against them in any way. The tech used means they can not be tampered by anyone, and each spin is independent of any other that takes place, ensuring complete randomness with each turn.

Video slots are now widely available in various shapes and forms, too, as technology has created new ways in which they can be played. Enthusiasts are now able to choose from titles that feature 3 reels, to those that feature 6, while they can look to play those that feature as many – or as few – mechanics as possible. Progressive jackpots and Megaways titles would not have been possible without all of the resources that are available to creators today a few years ago.

The innovations made have also impacted the game’s aesthetics, as players are now able to enjoy more immersive experiences than ever before because of what developers have been able to create because of the tech available.

Expect slot machines to continue to thrive

Slot machines have certainly come a very long way, although it is possible to suggest that they can still go some distance in the future, especially if technology continues to evolve in the way that it does and at the rate it does.

We could potentially see slots that combine new tech such as virtual reality (VR), thus giving players the most immersive experiences that they have ever witnessed before, while it is possible developers could come up with newer features that we simply cannot imagine yet!