The Origins of Slot Machines
Slot machines have become a staple of any casino, whether it’s land-based or online. Since the invention of the machine in the late 1800’s, they have taken on a transformation where they are easily accessible on any smartphone, no matter where you are in the world, of course, as long you have an internet connection.
The early versions of slot machines all featured a physical element, requiring the user to pull a lever which would turn the reels. Charles Fey is often considered the first developer of the first ‘true’ slot machine, calling it the Liberty Bell. The mechanical versions of slot machines remained prevalent for many years until around the mid-1900’s when the first fully electronical slot machine was released.
Video slots, which offered a digital screen and removed the feature of a lever, slowly gained popularity as more features were able to be added to the classic game. Multi-lines, bigger jackpots, and additional payouts were all possible now, attracting new players and retaining the existing fan base to bring slot machines out of stagnancy.
The mid-nineties saw the expansion of the of physical slot machines getting a further digital transformation as the development of online casinos were beginning to emerge. Not only was technology improving at a rapid rate, but the accessibility of home computers as well as a commercialised access to the internet provided the perfect storm for online casinos to take off.
How the Variations of Slot Machines Contribute to their Success
The variations of slot machines are a crucial factor to their steady popularity. Many leading casino game developers have taken the classic slot machine and developed it, creating exciting and immersive experiences where interesting themes, unusual layouts, bonus games, and developed graphics all contribute to their attractive reputation.
In addition, one huge draw to slot machines could be the development of progressive slots machines. The key element of these machines is the jackpot that can increase. The format relies on connecting an amount of compatible progressive slot machines together, single standalone machines, or progressive slot games where a portion of every wager contributes to the total jackpot prize. It’s possible for prizes to enter the millions before it’s won and the prize resets to a predetermined value.
From the Online Casino Straight to your Mobile
2007 saw the release of the iPhone, where many agree was the year for the turning point of digitalisation. Many online casinos and game developers suddenly had a new market to offer and popularise their games. With many online casinos already popular for their accessibility and improving graphics through computer access, mobile gaming would take this up a notch allowing players to access online casinos and play slot machines wherever they are, whenever they want.
Moving from outdated technologies of Flash, mobile casino software developers have taken advantage of newer technologies such as HTML5. This allows content to be optimised for many devices and create interactive experiences, all accessible either through the online casino’s official homepage or through a stand-alone official casino app found through the App store or Google Play.
With the stand-alone apps, many online casinos further push the popularity of classic games like slot machines through offering benefits such as mobile only bonuses to drive further traffic to mobile gaming.
The Fairness of Online Slot Machines
Many licensed and regulated online casinos featuring online slot machines often are obligated to showing their commitment to fair gaming. A common question legitimate online casinos want to answer is ‘how can players know the games are running fairly?’. Providing evidence of using a Random Number Generator (RNG) helps online casinos to prove all outcomes to an online slot machine are fair and consistently random.
In addition to this, some online casinos publish Return to Player Percentage (RTP) statistics to let prospective players make more informed choices about the different slot machines they have to offer. RTP essentially shows the percentage of money that on would on average be returned to a player if they played for an extended amount of time. Many newer online slots have an RTP higher than 97%, which are considered good and often more popular to play for both beginner and experienced players. If you want to find the casinos with the best RTP, this specialized platform will present all the best games of the moment.
Have Slot Machines Become More Addictive over the years?
From hot slots to cold slots, high volatility to low volatility, all these terms are used to perhaps give players a sense of choice and a way to gain an advantage over the house odds in a way. With ‘cold slots’ for example, the idea that a machine is likely to churn out a jackpot prize just because it hasn’t in a while is completely refuted when comparing it to the mathematical algorithm created to generate an RTP value.
Returning to Charles Fey’s first iteration of the slot machine that we know today; he developed the Liberty Bell machine to give players a 1 in 1000 chance of hitting the jackpot prize. The concept of high and low volatility slots only began to gain popularity after the 1960’s. Players looking for bigger entertainment values in slots were in luck as multiple lines and faster gameplay fuelled big wins but also created just as big losses. This was the first development of low volatility slot machines.
Now, of course with Random Number Generators, spinning on a slot machine is nothing more than stopping an algorithm at a perfectly random set of numbers. So why are slots so addictive if it is well known that each and every spin is just down to chance?
Well, over the years the improvement of graphics, sounds, cultural references from TV and films, and payline combinations in the tens or hundreds have all had a profound effect on the engagement not only with individual visits but with the length of time players spend at slot machines. A combination of all these features is purposely fashioned to increase the chances of players sticking around. Slot machines are the perfect storm of variability and mystery will continue to develop, finding better ways of keeping players hooked than from the simple Liberty Bell in 1898.
