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Progressive Slots
are a variation of slots which are played on slot machines.
Slot machines, also known as a "one-armed bandit," are gambling
devices that are operated by dropping in a token, chip, or coin, to
activate one or more (typically one to three or more) reels marked
horizontally by pictures or symbols. The machine pays out
winnings by dropping up to all of the coins in the machine into a
trough or cup, the amount depending on how and how many of the
symbols line up when the reels come to rest. Classic symbols
used are fruits such as cherries, oranges, plums, lemons; stars,
suits, bars, numbers (7 being the most common), and "jackpot."
The terminology
"slot machine" was originally used for automatic vending machines as
well as gambling devices, but during the 20th century, the term was
reserved for the gambling machine. The first gambling devices
in the United States of this nature would not be recognized as the
machines that we know today. They were more gambling
opportunities, such as a gambling machine with two toy horses that
would "race" after a coin was inserted. These machines were
typically table games in bars and saloons that would be the center
of wagering among patrons. By 1892, slot machines that would
be more recognizable by today's standards were in existence.
Some of these early slot machines were a circular display with a
spinning pointer or indicator that came to rest on a number,
picture, or color. In the late 19th and early 20th century,
the slot machine settled into it's widely recognized three to five
reel form, some with a clear window displaying the coins in the
machine, known as the "jackpot."
Thomas Fey
(1862-1944) is widely considered a grandfather of slots. In
the basement of his home in San Francisco in 1895, his first slot
machine creation was born. He initially placed a few in
businesses, saloons, and the like. His fledgling
operation did so well that he began to devote all his efforts into
the development, operation, and manufacture of slot machines;
subsequently opening a factory in San Francisco. It was at
this factory that he developed many famous slot machines, such as
the Liberty Bell, Klondike, Draw Poker, and Three Spindle. The
original location of his factory, which was destroyed in the
Earthquake/Fire of 1906, is memorialized by the State of California
as California Historical Landmark 937.
The first slot
machine of the three reel variety created by Charles Fey, the
Liberty Bell, was created in 1898, and is a standard worldwide.
The Liberty Bell is currently owned by his sons, Frank and Marshall
Fey, and is on display at the Liberty Bell Saloon and Restaurant in
Reno, Nevada.
Slots - Probability and Calculation |
