The lowdown on Video Slots

Slots are the most popular games at nearly every online casino. Their straightforward gameplay combined with their potential for big rewards has made them a winner with casino fans for more than 100 years. Here we take a brief look at the history of this casino classic.

Early Slots

The first slot machine was invented by Sittman and Pitt in New York more than 125 years ago. In 1891 they used a wooden drum, 10 playing cards and the rules of poker to create the precursor to all modern slots. The first fully electromechanical slot didn’t arrive until more than 70 years later in 1963 when Bally launched the Money Honey slot. The game was the first of a new breed of modern slots and the precursor of the video slots that we know and love today. Video slots first burst onto the scene in the mid-1970’s. One of the early manufactures of the games were Coin Co. who were based in Kearny Mesa in California. Their first slots went live on the Vegas Strip in 1978.

Video Slots

Video slots are slots with no moving parts, all of the action takes place on a screen with a graphic representation of slot machine. These graphics were made possible by the invention of the microprocessor and by the mid-1980’s they had revolutionized the slots industry making video slots were a common sight in pubs, clubs and casinos. By dispensing with the need for physical reels a whole new world of slot designs and gameplay ideas were unlocked. With players now playing what was essentially a video game slots designers and manufacturers could let their imaginations run wild which saw the emergence of more interactive game elements such as bonus games. The games also became bigger with 5 reels replacing the classic 3, giving the game, even more, combinations and ways to win. The outcome of every spin on a video slot is determined by a Random Number Generator (RNG) ensuring that every player has a fair chance of winning.

Online Video Slots

Video slots first started to become popular online during the early 1990’s when the first online casinos began to emerge. Like when the first video slots were developed going online opened up a whole new world of possibilities for slots game designers. Advancements in technology have seen online slots adding more and more complex bonus games and features while the difference in graphics between a modern online slot and the first video slots is staggering. With online slots, players have the convenience and freedom to play whenever and wherever they want while online casino promotions offer rewards such as Free Spins and Bonuses that real-world slots simply can’t.

Some of the most popular slots online are the progressive jackpot slots that regularly pay out millions of pounds. While regular slots have a fixed jackpot amount the jackpot of a progressive slot is determined by the players. Each time a game is played but the jackpot isn’t won the jackpot increases. All of this play feeds into a huge jackpot which one very lucky winner will get to walk away with. A single game can be linked across several online casinos with thousands of players spins feeding into some truly astronomical jackpots. Some of the most popular online progressive slots include Mega Moolah and Mega Fortune.

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