STEP 1: Explore the History of Slots
The story of slots for money goes back to the beginning of the 19th Century and the invention of the first “one-armed bandit,” which had a bell to notify the user of winnings. Despite being heavy and cumbersome, these machines were still hugely popular, and it wasn’t until the 1930s that the design was much modified to offer poker and the possibility of winning a jackpot.
The game-changer came in the 1960s when Bally introduced the “Money Honey” to the casinos of Las Vegas – an electromechanical machine that is the predecessor of today’s sophisticated games. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since those heady days, and times have changed, too, for the humble slot machine.
Right from the birth of the internet, many enterprising organizations began to develop web-based versions of slot machines, with a payout of winnings to electronic wallets – pretty sophisticated for the time. The slots have always been popular in land-based casinos, especially in Vegas:
- Wheel of Fortune
- Triple Red Hot 7s
- Double Jackpot and Megabucks.
These slot machines migrated smoothly to online establishments.
Fast-forward to today, where you can find the most popular slot machines to play for money in pretty much all gaming clubs. However, there are still pitfalls out there to catch the unwary and the naïve: unscrupulous owners of online casinos that don’t pay winnings, unlicensed copies of slot machines, among others. But don’t worry: your goal is to learn how to choose slots, how to bet on slots, and we are here to help.