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Slot machines actually have a rather local beginning. A couple of gentlemen named Pitt and Sittman, living in Brooklyn, NY came up with a gambling prototype in 1891 that was based on the game of poker, but utilized spinning drums rather than cards. Five drums that showed a total of 50 card faces spun about when a coin was deposited and a lever was pulled. The hope was to achieve winning poker combinations, but there was no direct payout mechanism. Instead, winnings were determined by the establishment: a pair of kings might earn the gambler a free beer, whereas more rare hands such as a Royal Flush could result in cigars. Some places removed a couple of cards from the possible images, usually the Ten of Spades and the Jack of Hearts, diminishing the chances of winning a Royal Flush. The spinning drums could also be rearranged to the house’s advantage. On the other side of the country, in San Francisco, a gentleman named Charles Fey came up with a similar, but simpler mechanism. He designed a game around 5 symbols: horseshoes, hearts, spades, diamonds and a Liberty Bell, coincidently the name of the game. He also reduced the number of reels from five to three- limiting the number of winning combinations significantly enough to allow an automatic payout to be designed into the game. Three bells in a row was the biggest jackpot- resulting in a win of 10 nickels. The Liberty Bell game was such a huge success, that Fey’s personal accomplishment was surpasses only by the establishment of growing industry for mechanical games. Even when they were outlawed in California, the demand for Fey’s games were so great in surrounding states, he had difficulty meeting the demands. An additional early game gave out prize instead of cash winnings. Fruit flavored chewing gums were the inspiration for the pictures on the reels: three cherries in a row won the gambler cherry flavored gum. This is the origination of the popular cherry and melon symbols still present on modern machines. The “BAR” symbol came from the Bell-Fruit Gum Company’s logo. Finally, the first fully electromechanical slot machine was released in 1964 by Bally- it was called Money Honey.
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