The slot machine is one of the more colourful and charismatic casino games. A breed of its own, slots add a whole other dimension to the casino atmosphere. Table games such as blackjack, poker, craps and the likes all have a more classy and serious vibe about them, they also involve elements of thought, strategy and some form of interaction. Slots on the other hand are all about the hit, the roll, the coins, the instant win - they are loud and ostentatious and come in many different colors and sizes. Earlier 'vintage' slot machines are even quite beautiful and may be considered design pieces fit for a museum. But what is even more interesting is the imagery that can be found on a slots reel!
They spiced things up by introducing fruit symbols and went on to produce thousands of machines! Fruit symbols replaced most of the other images and became a standard on slot machines for many years to come. There was obviously something about the vibrant colours and clean cut shapes of the fruit that stuck in people's hearts and minds. Slot machines became so heavily associated with the fruit symbol that UK slots players replaced the name slot machine with fruit slot machine!
In the early 20th century, gambling was outlawed in many States of the US. To get around the law they turned some slot machines into 'vendors'. Instead of awarding cash prizes, the vendor machines would give out items such as mints and chewing gum. As a result, it was not uncommon to see images of gum on the reels. These machines were also beautifully designed and fun to look at. Trade stimulator machines were similar to vendors and could be found in bars and drug stores. Ironically, their winnings were often paid out in cigarettes, cigars, trade or cash under the table. The symbols on trade stimulator machines were a little more serious, usually in the form of playing cards or roulette wheels. Still, they were stunningly designed and drew in the crowds, despite their low winning odds. Slot machine makers became even more creative in circumventing the law when they produced machines to look like pinball games and horse races but they were actually slots machines with the payout in a hidden drawer! These 'undercover' machines were also beautiful in their own right with handcrafted horse and pinball symbols. Designers weren't only creative with the design of the symbols. They also produced some very interesting show cases to house the slots reels, most curious were the cases in the form of human beings such as cowboys and showgirls. The slot machines would protrude from their chests!
In 1931 gambling was legalized in Nevada and the Flamingo Hotel became one of the first Vegas casino establishments. Slot machines were originally installed there to occupy the wives of the more 'serious' table players but eventually became so popular that they generated the same turnover as the table games and casino fruit slots were here to stay!
Traditional fruit slotssymbols were used, as was imagery from card and table games, bringing us the famous video poker. Technology even allowed for the linking of machines which meant there could be a progressive slots jackpot! All of this magnificently paved the way for the online slots games that we see here today. With online slots, the sky is the limit. We can play the traditional 'fruit slots', or games in the style of video slots. If that wasn't enough, now we have slots games containing all of our favourite TV and film characters and symbols from popular culture. Game inventors and designers are continuously challenged to come up with fresh concepts, stunning images and incredible ideas. But as with all culture, entertainment and fashion, there is nothing quite like the simple and classic oldies!