Surprising Fun Facts About Slot Machines

The First Video Slot Came Out in 1976

In 1976, the first video slot machine was developed by the Fortune Coin Company. It was, to all intents purposes, a modified 19-inch Sony Trinitron receiver that was used for the display and logic keyboard. This was mounted into a show-ready slot machine cabinet. Las Vegas was the first city to try the new device at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel. It proved an instant hit leading to full-scale production. Thanks to advances in technology, it wasn’t long before casinos were able to link multiple slot machines together, creating the first progressive jackpot network. This was the legendary Megabucks slot, which was manufactured by IGT. It first saw the light of day in 1986.

Las Vegas is the Slots Capital of the World

When it comes to the world’s capital of slot machines, you have probably already guessed the answer. Yes, Las Vegas has more slot machines than anywhere else. In fact, there are over 200,000. This works out at around one slot for every Las Vegas citizen.

The Largest Slot Machine Ever Made

The world's largest slot machine with made in the 1950s. It went by the name of “Super Big Bertha.” This monstrosity was 2.5m high and 2m wide. At today's value, it cost $1.2 million to make. What's interesting is that the machine was so big it was almost impossible to pull a lever to start the 8 reels spinning. To make life easier, a 5-horsepower motor was installed. When you look at today's odds in bingo or progressive slots, you may complain about them being very high. Whatever number you come up with, it would fall far short of the odds of winning on the Super Big Bertha. With its 8 reels and 20 symbols, the winning odds were 25.6 billion to 1.

Slots Placed by Casino Entrances/Exits Pay Out More?

Though it sounds like a casino urban myth, it's true that the slot machines located near the entrance doors of a casino pay out more. You're probably thinking it's because they've been programmed this way so that would it be gamblers, who were passing the casino, could see players celebrating their wins through the doorway. However, this is not the case. It's all down to the fact that these machines pay out more simply because people tend to sit and play near entrances and exits so that they can walk out as soon as they've had enough. With more people playing on these machines, then there's a greater probability of someone landing a win.

Old Slots vs Modern Slots

The slot machines of today have little in common with those of yesteryear when it comes to components. Old machines mainly consisted of mechanical parts including coin slots, levers, reels and hoppers. You can contrast this with today's modern slots that have over 1,200 components. If Wilhelm Schultze or Charles Fay saw the inside of today's slots, they would not recognise any of the inner working parts. These include such things as the machine cabinets, bill validators, random number generator software and touch screens.

Slots Make up the Majority Casino Income

During the 1980s, a change came about in the player’s attitudes towards casino games. Prior to this, slots were regarded as being somewhat feminine and as such, they provided a simple distraction for women who gamble. The men would flock to the casino games tables to play “real” games like craps, poker and blackjack. Eventually, this rather sexist view changed and within a decade, slot machines were generating twice as much revenue per year as all table games combined. By 2003, slot machines with generating over 85% of the total revenue for brick-and-mortar casinos.

The Random Number Generators Determine Results

The first slot machines were primitive and functioned with the help of reels and mechanical levers. They look decided to clunky when compared to today's modern online slots and the machines to be found in land-based casinos around the world. One essential contemporary feature is the Random Number Generator. Many players think that this springs into action the moment you press the spin button. Yet the truth of the matter is that it's working away all the time generating arbitrary numbers in thousands of sequences every second. This acts a form of security in that it stops third parties from interfering with the slot. When a player presses the spin button, then it's the latest number combination that will determine the results.

Slots Have Many Names

In New Zealand and Australia slot machines are called “pokies.” In the UK they are referred to as “fruit machines” or “fruities” because the very first slot machines had fruit icons on the reels. In many places, slot machines are called “one-arm bandits” due to the single lever arm you would pull to set the reels spinning. The bandit part comes to the fact that these machines will make off with your loot.

Slot Machines Are Over 140 Years Old

The first slot machine was invented in 1891 by Sittman and Pitt. It looked very close to the machines we have today though it was based on poker. The contraption contained 10 cards on 5 printed drums. All the gambler had to do was pull the reel after inserting a coin. Because those were simpler times, the winnings you would receive was either a free beer or some cigarettes at the bar. Over time, these machines quickly became very popular across New York State. In 1893, the machine was updated by Wilhelm Schultze. Just one year later, Charles August Fey, a mechanic from San Francisco, added some new features to the Schultze machine. In doing so, he built the world's first coin-operated gambling machine with three reels. The five symbols on each reel were a spade, a heart, a horseshoe, a diamond and the Liberty Bell.

Slots are More Popular in Japan than in the United States

Thanks to American media broadcasting influencing cultures around the world, many have been led to believe that the sheer number of slots of Atlantic City and Las Vegas must make them the most popular game in the world. Like everything in America is bigger and better. Only it's not true. If you take a trip to Japan, you'll find pachinko parlours everywhere. With their bright neon lights and the deafening racket of the metal balls, they are impossible to miss. Even though there's supposed to be no money involved, they actually generate massive gambling revenue, equal to the casinos of Las Vegas, Singapore and Macau combined.

No Strategies Exist for Playing Slots

If you visit many gambling websites or take a look at slots tutorials on YouTube, you’ll come across many so-called experts who will try and sell you a gambling strategy for the slots. We suggest that you don't buy any of these. The truth of the matter is that all slots are simply based on luck. It's true that, though there are strategies that will help stretch out your bankroll, there are certainly none that can help you win.

Slot Games can Offer Huge Wins

Every once in a while there'll be a big splash in the media about some lucky player who managed to land millions of dollars at the casino. The vast majority of these success stories will come from playing the slots. In particular, striking it lucky with the progressive slot jackpots. In fact, there’s no other game in the casino that can match these slot payouts. Progressive slots have probably paid out more gigantic wins than any other type of slot machine. In the process, it has made many winners instant millionaires.

Online Slots Pay Better

Many players playing in land-based casinos are blissfully unaware that online slots payout considerably more, and more often, than land-based machines. This all comes down to the different RTP percentages on offer. You'll find that most brick-and-mortar casino slot machines have an RTP that’s between 85% and 92%. Even the worst online slots would have an RTP number between 94% and 98% per cent. So playing at Queensplay Casino is bound to give you better bang for your buck when compared with any land-based casino.

There’s no Such Thing as Hot and Cold Slots

Spend any amount of time on the slots floor of a casino and you’ll start to hear players talking about machines being “hot or cold.” The idea is that some machine pay out more often than others. This is simply the foolishness that comes about from wishful thinking. There's no such thing as hot or cold slots as each machine is programmed to give completely random results. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking new outcomes are somehow related to previous results.