HOW SLOT MACHINES HAVE CHANGED DUE TO THE INTERNET

It wasn’t actually that much longer than 100 years ago that a man called Charles D. Fey kicked off the modern slots industry with his Liberty Bell machine, the world’s first genuinely commercially viable slot machine. Before this there were a few rudimentary slot machines kicking about around the US, however, none of them could actually pay out any prizes, and gamblers had to claim their winnings from the bar - play here.

As you might imagine this wasn’t particularly exciting, and so it was no surprise that as soon as Mr Fey updated the old slot machines so they paid out physical coins people just couldn’t get enough. But here’s the thing: the slots industry didn’t really come into its own until the emergence of the Internet as a platform to host these games, something that well and truly changed everything. 

The early days of slot machines 

As we have already mentioned, if it wasn’t for a particularly innovative engineer called Charles D. Fey operating in late 1800s California we’re not sure slot machines would have ever hit the popularity that they do today, and this man was especially important in the early days of slot machines. 

Back then slot machines weren’t even legal, however as soon as gambling restrictions were relaxed in America slot machines got wildly popular amongst gamblers. This can be seen the most in Las Vegas, of course, however by the mid-20th-century slot machines could be found in many places across the world. 

RNGs and video slots 

Obviously, slot machines were wildly popular by the 1980s, however, they still weren’t hitting anywhere near the popularity levels that they do today. This is begun to change with the invention of the RNG, or Random Number Generator. These complex pieces of computer equipment allowed for developers to use video screens for their reels, resulting in a whole load more possibilities. 

You see, when the reels can be spun completely randomly on a video screen developers can immediately start adding in bonus features and other cool game mechanics – no wonder they got so popular! 

The first online slots 

The video slots pioneered in the 1980s paved the way for the eventual emergence of online slots, however, this could only happen after the Internet had reached a certain level of development. It was in the early 2000s that games such as Temple Of Isis by Eyecon came out, becoming the first online slots in a rich history of online slot games. 

The first online slots weren’t without their faults, however, and in the beginning, the graphics and general smoothness of gameplay wasn’t the best. 

The modern online slot industry 

Now, the modern online slot industry has really come into its own over the last decade or so, as things such as HTML5, mobile slots and a huge increase in the number of online casino sites have resulted in a huge number of new gamblers hitting the market. 

Seriously, with all the innovative and lucrative bonus features appearing nowadays it seems as though the industry is going to continue growing indefinitely!