The Thrill of the Slots
In Australia, it’s called a poker machine, the British call it a fruit machine and in the United States, it’s known as the ever-popular slot machine. Located throughout every casino in the world, this gambling or fruit machine normally has three reels, sometimes more, that spin when the lever is pulled or a button is pushed. The fruit machine has gotten the nickname as the one-armed bandit for its lever on the side and its reputation of cleaning out many a player’s wallet.
A currency detector to prevent any chance of counterfeit cash being used validates the money that is inserted into the fruit machine whether it be coins or bills. The amount of payout is determined buy matching different symbols on the screen and how much you bet initially. Originally, it was different types of fruit symbols used, thus its name the fruit machine. The technology now available has resulted in the production of many styles of machines that offer you a multitude of choices.
When in a casino many people choose to gamble on the slot machines or fruit machine far more than any other game, and because of this over, 70% of the casinos profit margin is earned from the revenue of these sometimes-irresistible fruit machines. Unfortunately because of the popularity of the fruit machines, its been estimated that up to 30% or more of these profits come from people who have a gambling problem.
It was Stillman and Pitt from Brooklyn, New York, in the United States that first invented a slot machine or fruit machine that worked on poker as its main premise for winning. It had five drums that held 50 card faces and when a lever was pulled, they spun for a period before stopping. Once stopped the machine determined whether you had a good enough poker hand to constitute a winning bet, (generally a pair or better). Although this slot machine or fruit machine became very popular and could be found in many city bars, because of strict gambling laws, it was unusual to see a cash payout except when an establishment was licensed, and in most cases drinks, cigars and even food could be the prize for a big win.
It was soon discovered the manufactures could remove a couple of cards like the jack of hearts and the ten of spades making it doubly harder to get a royal flush, which is the highest hand and paid out the biggest prize. This was done to increase the bars profits and could yield a substantial profit to their businesses.
It wasn’t until 1887 that Charles Fey of San Francisco came up with the idea of using symbols instead of cards. This type of fruit machine offered an automatic payout and is the model of what now can be found in casino’s the world over.
Whether you are playing on a fruit machine or any other style, remember to only bet what you can afford to lose! It can be lots of fun if you don’t overdue it!
