Slot Machines

In 1895, Charles Fey built the first slot machine, called the Liberty Bell, in his basement. Fey's design was nothing like the slots we know today. The slot machine weighed over 100 pounds, was made of cast iron, and did not have the fruit symbols that are familiar on the slots of today. Instead the machine had horseshoes, stars, and suits from playing cards. The Liberty Bell paid out 50 cents to winners, which was a lot of money back then. Charles Fey rented out his slots to bars and saloons, based on a 50/50 split of the profits. The Liberty Belle Saloon and Restaurant located in Reno, Nevada, has on display the very first Liberty Bell slot machine designed by Charles Fey. The saloon and restaurant is owned by Fey's grandchildren, who honor his legacy, in the invention of the slot machine.


The slot machine did not grow in popularity until many years later, when slots were put in the Flamingo Hilton hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The infamous organized crime figure Bugsy Siegel, helped in the history of slot machines. Bugsy constructed the Flamingo Hilton on ground, that would later become the Las Vegas strip. Bugsy Siegel invested in the slots to fill space on the casino floor, and keep the wives of the high rollers occupied. The men would play the high stakes poker, while the women would busy themselves on the slots. Bugsy thought the machines were just a novelty and did not take them too seriously, but the ladies who played them did.

Since then slot machines have grown in popularity across America, as well as the world. Slot machines now account for 70 to 80 percent of casino profits. Slots are no longer mechanical, but are totally electronic, and come in many different varieties.