Through the years, slot machines have become increasingly popular, allowing players to enjoy hours of fun whilst having the possibility to win cash prizes at the same time. From the historical 'One-Armed Bandit' to the video slots that occupy a sizable section of several online casinos today, these games have witnessed a surge in popularity throughout the world.

The following post shall discuss the history of these machines and their progression from land-based games to internet gaming sensations.

The first slot machine even as we might know it today may be traced back close to 1891. Referred to as the 'One-Armed Bandit', this slot was invented in New York by Sittman and Pitt. With five drums acting as reels and a lever on the side to set them off, it had 50 card symbols to land. As will be the case with modern fruit machine slots, they were widely used in bars throughout the country.

Not long after the invention of the 'One-Armed Bandit', the first automatic slot was invented by a man called Charles Fey in California, in 1895. With just three reels, this slot was widely thought of as running on a lot simpler mechanism and only had five reel symbols.

Named the Liberty Bell, this first automatic slot could possibly be seen as being an influencer for some modern video slots today that still use three reels as well as a minimal amount of symbols.

Fruit symbols have long been connected with slots and this perhaps stems from 1907 and the invention of Herbert Mills's slot machine. Called the Operator Bell, Herbert Mills created it to rival that of Charles Fey.

Despite the evolution of slot machines and reel symbols being comprised of nearly anything, many video slots still choose to use classic fruit symbols. The likes of Double Bubble, one of the most popular video slots around, draws on classic features and symbols while still providing players with a modern spinning experience.

In 1963, Bally Manufacturing managed to produce a slot without having a side-mounted lever. As the very first electromechanical slot machine, it could reward coins automatically without an attendant to help. Called Money Honey, this slot machine paved the way for electronic games of the future.

Although Bally Manufacturing managed to bring electronic functionality to the slots scene around 13 years earlier, the very first real video slots were invented within the mid-70s in California. Fortune Coin Co developed video slot technology in 1976, mounting a display on a slot machine cabinet and gaining approval from the Nevada State Gaming Commission.

The video slots we know today and their place in gaming can be traced back to the 1990s as well as the launch of the very first online casinos. In 1994, the very first online casino launched featuring a range of video slots to play.

You can find currently hundreds of excellent online slot casinos at which to play thousands of video slots. They are provided by a number of software suppliers and appear to span across all kinds of categories and genres.

The chances to win huge cash sums are ever-present, more so with the introduction of progressive slots. With one of these games, some are linked up to wider networks, allowing prize funds to grow at a rapid rate and regularly reaching the millions.