Mills Liberty Bell

In 1895, Charles Fey decided to invent a new device for games of chance, differentiating it from all the contemporary games at that time. The machine attracted a lot of interest due to its simplicity, the great deal of amusement involved, and the suspenseful thrill of hitting the jackpot. Due to heavy demand for this machine, Charles Fey entered into a partnership in 1907 with Mills Novelty Company. Consequently, with a rich combination of expertise and resources, they invented a new slot machine christened the Mills Liberty Bell. The machine was basically made out of cast iron.

The Liberty Bell was also made out of cast iron and placed at the center of this machine. Though it was first manufactured with cast iron feet, later machines were produced with eye-catching scrolled feet. They used traditional card symbols on the three reels, including clubs, hearts, spades, and diamonds. Winners of the jackpot would hear a tingling of a bell to indicate their winnings. Sometime between then and now, the practice of ringing a bell on wins was eliminated but has been regenerated in most machines manufactured today.

In 1910, Mills Novelty Company proceeded to introduce another modified version of their slot machine, named the Operator Bell. This machine was the first to carry fruit symbols, which are still used to this day. Gaming devices manufactured by this company all weighed at least 100 pounds, yet they were very successful—their novel ideas reflected in the 30,000 machines produced. Many improvements were made to later models, the first being lighter machines to eliminate the bulky nature.

Further Developments

Value additions to slot machines were the next step, and henceforth many new machines and features such as double jackpots and themed cabinet designs were introduced. Some notable slot machines famous during the 1930s were War Eagle, Lion Head, Castle Front Designs, and Roman Head. Eliminating the gooseneck slot design, another machine was created to show coins inside the machine, which could move in a row. This concept was a hit, being visually attractive and allowing the house to verify genuine coins were inserted instead of slugs.

In 1940, slot machines invaded hotels, prompted by Bugsy Siegel at his Las Vegas Flamingo Hotel. Slot machines then proceeded to bypass gaming tables, accounting for a larger share of gambling revenues and attracting attention worldwide. Today's evolving techniques in video slots, with multiple paylines and bonus rounds, offer a wide range of fun. The hot slot machine of the moment is Big Kahuna, introduced by Microgaming.