Enjoy the History of Fruit Machines

Many people probably don't know where the term fruit machine came from. The fruit machine is actually a result of the Bell-Fruit Gum Company's early slot machine gimmick. The winner would get a payout of a fruit flavored gum! You could win the gum if you got the fruit symbols with cherries, melons and other fruits. And so, in the history of fruit machines, was born the nickname "Fruit Machines" for these fun slot games.

The Beginning of the History of Fruit Machines

The history of fruit machines takes off from here. The first one-armed bandit, as they were referred to, was actually invented by Charles Fey of San Francisco. He is said to have invented it in 1887. He created a machine with three spinning reels that contained a total of five symbols. The symbols were horseshoes, diamonds, spades, hearts and a Liberty Bell. His Liberty Bell game was a huge success and the history of the fruit machines was born.

The Continuation of the History of Fruit Machines

The Liberty Bell machine was incredibly popular, and Fey couldn't keep up with the demand for it. In 1907, Herbert Mills produced another machine called the Operator Bell, and many bell machines were getting installed in cigar stores, saloons and other locations. Certainly, looking at the history of fruit machines, many people came along after to develop even better versions. This included Sittman and Pitt of Brooklyn and many others.

Popularity Grows

In 1963, the history of fruit machines continued as Bally developed the first fully electromechanical fruit machine called Money Honey. This was the first machine with a bottomless hopper and automatic payout with the help of an attendant. This was such a popular game in the history of fruit machines that other electronic games started to develop from it. Soon, companies were developing all sorts of interesting fruit machines. The first fruit machine to offer a second screen bonus round was Reel 'em In which was developed by WMS Industries Inc. in 1996. Certainly, from this point we've seen the development of the online casino and the online fruit machines; and even more easy-to-play hand-held versions with mobile fruit machine games.

The Evolution of the History of Fruit Machines

Fruit machines have certainly changed a great deal from their original title as one-armed bandits. Today, you certainly don't have to pull a handle anymore and you don't need to offer it pennies. Some of the machines still have a lever, but this is more because people enjoy having the old-fashioned look and feel of the fruit machines then for necessity. Looking at the history of fruit machines, you'll see that today's machines are colorful and computerized with interactive touchscreens.