Slot machines like those at League of Slots Casino Chile have humble beginnings. They started out as simple machines with an arm to pull. The first slots in the past did not even pay out anything — you had to call the bartender to show that you won.
Today, there are thousands of slots, and it is worthwhile to see how they evolved after more than a hundred years. However, we will focus on the games themselves and not the apparatus.
Early Slots
The early slot machines were simplistic. In these games, the goal was to line up the same symbols on only one line, and there were only three reels. These slots were mechanical, not digital. There was a lever that you needed to crank or pull with your hand.
The earliest variant came out in 1887, and they called it a poker gambling machine. It was called so because there were five reels, and each reel had a card. The way to win was to make a strong hand.
It was in 1891 when the first three-reel slot with an automatic payout came to the scene, but it wasn’t until 1907 that the first fruit machine was introduced to the public.
The 1891 variant still used cards, but the 1907 one was the first slot machine that used the BAR and fruit symbols.
Slots in 1976
The first digital slot machine was launched in 1976. The company that created it was Fortune Coin, and they used a Sony television for the screen. The slot first graced the public in the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel.
After some modifications to ensure it was cheat-free, the slot became the foundation for the modern ones we see today. It was the first digital slot that used screens, and it is why people dubbed it a “video slot.” Eventually, Fortune Coin was acquired by IGT.
Slots in the 1990s
It wasn’t until 20 years later that a new slot was born. It was in the 1990s when the Internet was developed and made available for public use.
In 1996, WMS Industries created a game called Reel ‘Em. It was a digital slot, but what made it different was that it had a second screen for the bonus round. There was a different scenario that replaced the reels if the bonus round was triggered.
Modern Slots
Today, there are thousands of slots with varying features. To some extent, slot machine aficionados now consider many of these features as a default. If they do not see these modern features in a slot, they are not likely to play. In this section, we will discuss some of the most common features of modern slot games.
Wild
The wild is a symbol that replaces for almost all symbols to make a winning payline. Let us say that you need three symbols on the same line on reels 1, 2, and 3.
After spinning, you got a strawberry on reel 1, a lemon on reel 2, and a strawberry on reel three. The slot’s requirement is three strawberries. Since you have a lemon on reel 2, you do not win anything.
However, if this lemon were a wild symbol, the slot will automatically consider this as a strawberry (or any symbol needed to make a winning combo), and you will win a prize.
Scatter
The scatter symbol is a special symbol that usually triggers a special round or bonus round. It is called scatter because, typically, you can land this symbol anywhere on the grid, and it will yield a prize. It is not like other symbols that have to land on specific spots.
The common practice is that you must land three scatters on the grid in one round. You can land them anywhere. If you do, the game will trigger either a bonus round or pay you more money.
Progressive Jackpot
A progressive jackpot is a kind of jackpot whose value is not fixed. The jackpot prize keeps on growing. As long as nobody hits it, the game will take a percentage of the losing bets and add these to the jackpot prize.
The features that we have are not exhaustive. There are many other features today that did not exist in the past, such as the avalanche, colossal grid, 243 pay lines, and so many more!
Slots will forever be around, and game developers will certainly put more priority on evolving them than other games. These games have seen so much progress that today, multiple people can pay for the same machine at the same time.
The future of the slot machine is bright, and we can expect game developers to be at the forefront of its evolution for years to come!