Real Casino Slot Machines – Standout Games and Where to Play
From the original Liberty Bell slot machine, invented in 1887, to pub slots with flashing lights and nudges, to an unending tide of online variations, slot machines have come a very long way. Immensely popular and easy to play, you won’t see the trend changing any time soon.In fact, the demand for slot machines continues to grow. The rise of online casinos has seen the creation of arguably better slots games, with game developers gaining far more potential to create original and exciting content than ever before. Retro real casino slot machines still hold their sway, though, and there’s enough interest in these games to ensure that online versions of these classics keep cropping up. We’ll take a look at exaclty how these land-based machines have developed and held on to their charm through decades.
Back to Basics – Casino Slot Machines
There are two accounts of what might have been the original slot machine. The most popular theory is that an American named Charles Fey kicked things off in 1887 with his ‘Liberty Bell’ machine. Some say he didn’t join the party until 1895 – four years after two men named Sittman and Pitt invented the slot machine based loosely on poker.
The ensuing century saw a wide range of different slot machine designs come and go. However, the Liberty Bell was the one that stuck and essentially started the slots boom. It remains popular to this day, and hundreds of budding slot machines owe their existence to the Liberty Bell.
Stand-Out Land-Based Slot Machines
There are a handful of land-based slot machines that have hit the headlines for a variety of reasons. The most famous mega jackpot machine is Megabucks, which is responsible for many of the biggest slots jackpots in history. The record is still held at $39.7 million, won in 2003 at Las Vegas’ Excalibur casino. Wheel of Fortune is another immensely popular machine, which has inspired more variations than any other slot in history. It became famous for its progressive jackpot, which you can only qualify for by placing the maximum three-coin bet.
The Lion’s Share slot machine was just another three-reel Las Vegas slot machine until it was revealed that the progressive jackpot hadn’t been won in 20 years. People flocked to the MGM Grand to wait in line to play the only Lion’s Share slot machine in the city. Eventually, an elderly couple won a cool $2.4 million jackpot.
The One-Armed Bandit Slot Machine
Classic slot machines were given the moniker ‘one-armed bandit’ because of the one, giant level typically attached to the side of the machine. If you pull the lever, the reels start to spin, and if you hit a winning combination, coins are dispensed automatically. It’s a basic mechanism and one that provided the blueprint for slot machines for years.
In 1963, a Chicago-based manufacturer popularised the inclusion of fruit symbols on the reels. This machine, known as Money Honey, was the first fully electronic slot machine. It sent the industry reeling, and the slot machine industry was never to be the same again. The new technology allowed for buttons instead of a lever, and various other features. The fruit symbols remained and became synonymous with slot machines, hence why we often refer to them as fruit machines in the UK.
Japanese Pachislo Slot Machines
Japan loves slot machines. That’s an undisputable fact. There are close to 5 million slot machines in a country with 127 million inhabitants – and yet gambling is illegal in Japan. The Japanese Pachislo slot machine is indeed a Japanese invention, and it’s a big deal over there. They feature unique ‘stop’ buttons used to stop each reel individually. It gives the player a sense that they are using skill to stop the reel at the right time, when in fact, the result is conjured by a random number generator. There are only a handful of Pachislo machines available to play in the UK, and they have become collector items due in part to their high-quality design and small size.
Digitalised Slots and the UK’s Favourite – Fruities
The digital age did not leave slots trailing in the wake. The game was crafted into digital versions by various developers and what are affectionately known as fruit machines, can now be found in pubs and arcades all over the United Kingdom. Sometimes these pub slots go by the name Amusement with Prizes, but somehow that just doesn’t sit so well with us. Fruit machines can have three, five and seven reels on display, and are considered to be cheat-proof. Funnily enough, many of the symbols on the reels are pieces of fruit. Go figure.
Slot Machines with Nudges and Holds
Fruit machines in the UK tend to be equipped with special and unique buttons known as nudges and holds. Nudges are awarded either randomly or after spins, and allow a player to move one reel down either once or multiple times in any of the next few plays. To facilitate this, fruit machines allow you to see the symbols that will be next to fall into the payline. This is done simply by having a larger clear plastic cover to allow players to view further around the reels.
Meanwhile, holds give you the chance to hold one reel in place while you spin the others. Some games allow you to hold more than one reel at a time, therefore further increasing your chances of winning. be aware though, you will only be allowed to hold your chosen symbol for one more spin. After that, the reel will be unlocked and allowed to spin freely once again.
Popular Real Casino Slots
There are thousands of slots games out there, but some managed to survive the test of time and maintain their berth in top casinos. The primary explanation for a slot machine’s success is the jackpot. Slot machines with progressive jackpots are a big deal for slot enthusiasts, whether we’re talking about online or land-based machines. There are some which rely on their theme and appearance, or perhaps novel features, to become a hit. One of the most famous slot machines in the world is Cleopatra. It offers no huge jackpot, and like hundreds of other slot machines, it is decorated with an ancient Egyptian theme. However, it rose above the sands to become a veritable slots classic.
Where to Play Real Casino Slot Machines
Increasingly, slots fans are referring to online casinos to get their fix. It’s so easy to play from the comfort of your own home these days, where practically the only requirement to play is that you are awake. However, land-based slots are by no means going extinct. On the contrary, seeing a fruit machine decking the halls of a pub is still a common occurrence in the UK. If you tried to remove one, you’d likely encounter a wallpaper tan-line etching its outline and perhaps a few shillings and war relics lying on the ground. Arcades are another place where you are liable to see a bunch of real casino slot machines lined up. Venues in Las Vegas tend to have so many real casino slots, you might feel as though you’ve walked into the Hall of Mirrors. UK casinos tend to be slightly more reserved, and you’ll likely find a smattering, rather than a throng of slot machines.
Offline vs. Online Slots
Playing slots online gives you the chance to play in your pyjamas. You can also pick and choose from thousands of slots, many of which have free versions to sample first. In addition, online casinos offer welcome bonuses to entice you through their virtual doors. Then there are the innovative new gameplay features, which cannot be implemented on a physical, land-based slot machine. Though, differences in the gameplay of online and land-based casino slot machines tend not to be so vast that you’ll freeze like a rabbit in headlights after hanging up your coat and getting your free drink. We’d also hasten to add that online slots casinos will never be able to replicate the atmosphere of a bricks and mortar casino. Not even the impending virtual reality revolution will change that.
Online Video Slots
Many favourite land-based slots are available to play online, with better return to player rates, better bonuses and more innovative features than a midget circus. Despite the new-fangled mechanisms, there are plenty of retro slots online, which harks back to the classic UK pub slots machines of days gone by. Another huge advantage of playing slots online is the possibility to play on mobile and tablet devices, meaning you could hit jackpots from anywhere where you can get an internet connection. For example, something even as ironic as winning right out the front of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – without ever stepping foot inside, or perhaps from within a bank just before you were about to re-mortgage your home.