The slot machine stands for the modern and currently most widespread game of chance in the world. No picture of the gambling metropolis Las Vegas can do without it, it plays a supporting role in films such as the Ocean’s Eleven film series and in Germany it can be found in casinos, casinos, restaurants and pubs. Online casinos, which are now becoming increasingly popular, also offer numerous versions in digital form.

IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE LEVER

The history of slot machines goes back to the end of the 19th century. Probably the first slot machine was invented by the Caille brothers in 1889 in the USA. Here you could start the game process with a lever. Ten years later, the German emigrant August Frey optimized this basic principle with the 3-reel game system. This reel system is still prevalent in digital gaming systems even today. Frey’s toy called “Liberty Bell” quickly became very popular. Previously, the gaming machines worked according to the roulette principle: you had to bet on a color before turning the lever on the rotating disk, which consisted of alternating red and black fields. In the first few years after the invention of these slot machine models, the unofficial name of the “one-armed bandit” prevailed.

PROHIBITION MAKES INVENTIVE

The ban on slot machines in many countries at the turn of the century brought about a major change, the effects of which can still be seen today. Since you were not allowed to play for money for a long time, you could only win small prizes. The machines in the USA, where you could play for sweets in various flavors, were very popular. The fruit symbols used for this also prevailed in Europe and, even after the reintroduction of slot machines, are still part of most slot machines worldwide. According to these symbols, the slot machine in Great Britain is now also called the fruit machine. In the USA, the term slot machine prevailed – named after the earlier coin slot – while in Australia the slot machine – despite the fact that the popular card game was often missing on the device – is called poker machine.

THE BEGINNINGS IN GERMANY

The first slot machines were developed in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. The best-known device was the Bajazzo finger-slapping machine developed in Leipzig. In the 1920s there were more than 10,000 of these toys in Berlin alone. From the beginning of the 1930s, the first legal basis was created and the first testing institution, the Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt, was established. A short time later, however, the machines could only be used at fairs. In the early days of the Federal Republic of Germany, the installation of slot machines was generally allowed again. However, the installation location could only be selected according to youth protection criteria. Accordingly, starting in the 1950s, slot machines were only found in amusement arcades and suitable restaurants. Over the years, the requirements for installation as well as operation and use have been heavily regulated. The extensive legal regulations that slot machines are subject to today differ depending on the jurisdiction and the location of the machine installation.

SLOT MACHINES IN CASINS

While they were already introduced in US casinos in the first decades of the 20th century, in Germany it took until the 1960s before the first machines moved into casinos. Not least because of this, the slot machine game used to be referred to as the “little game” in German casinos. The classic games of chance such as roulette and blackjack were called the “Big Game”. While slot machines hardly contributed to the total income of the casinos in the first two decades of their operation, they have been responsible for more than half of the sales of German casinos since the late 1980s. Nowadays, the revenue from slot machines in German casinos is almost 80 percent. At some locations, therefore, only slot machines are now offered.

A BIG BOX WITH HIGH-TECH PU

While the original playground equipment was still simple in terms of its structure and function and was purely mechanical, over time it became much more complicated and operated electromechanically. Today’s slot machines are usually highly complex and purely electronic devices that have little to do with their mechanical ancestors given the computers inside them. In addition to the purpose of gambling, the look has also remained the same: both the box-like shape and the colorful and well-lit design have made it possible to recognize a slot machine from afar since its invention. On the other hand, other gaming devices that work without a money-winning function – such as pinball or video game machines – usually differ significantly in appearance and function from classic slot machines.

THE GAME RANGE – DIVERSE AND CLASSIC

Thanks to the technical equipment, the range of games offered by modern slot machines can include a large number of complex games of chance – including poker, blackjack and roulette – on a single device. Typically, however, some of the most popular slot games include types of games that follow the game system that slot machines possessed as far back as the 19th century. The game consists of several reels – initially mechanical, now digital – on which different symbols are applied. The usually three to six reels are set in motion by pressing a button and either stop by themselves or can usually be stopped early by pressing again. There are several lines to bet on. The amount of the win depends on how many matches have been made with the same symbols on the line played and how rare the respective symbol is. In addition, modern slot machines have various bonus games and interactive features. Incidentally, in many retro machines, the game can still be started with the well-known lever on the right: the so-called “one-armed bandit” simply cannot be killed.

COMMISSIONER ACCIDENT IN THE LEADING ROLE

The often supposedly discovered event connections or observed regularities by players in slot machines are a fallacy. Regardless of the manufacturer, every slot machine is subject to a computer-determined random principle, which is always the same every time you press the button. Regardless of whether the spinning process is stopped prematurely on its own, the chance of winning always remains the same. Coincidence is the only determining factor in slot machines – just like in any other game of chance. Neither tactics, nor time of day, neither skilled hands nor prayer helps. In the early years of the machines and in the first half of the 20th century there were still isolated models that could be manipulated, but those times are long gone. Today’s slot machines have become lighted machines with networked high-performance computers inside. How, when and in what combination the symbols appear on the display is completely arbitrary and depends solely on highly complicated algorithms. So it is inevitably impossible to predict an outcome.

YOU CAN BE SUPERSTITIOUS – IT JUST DOES NOT ACHIEVE

However, the fact that chance alone decides does not prevent either the beginner or the experienced player from hoping that things could be different. Who hasn’t held a lucky charm in their hands, crossed their fingers or sent a prayer to heaven in the hope of hitting the big jackpot? Of course, such “rituals” can also produce amazing results: many players only want to play on “their” device, and those who are on a lucky streak do not want to be spoken to, let alone touched, or disturbed at all. Bad luck and luck seem to be decided by putting on a certain shirt, pressing it too early or late, or entering the casino with the wrong foot. Finding tactics and strategies for gambling, with which one can be sure to win, is practically as old as gambling itself. While one can at least still bluff at poker or cheat at private game nights with friends, there are none when playing slot machines Chance to Sway It in Your Favor The amount of time between winning and winning again is purely a matter of chance. Accordingly, there is no strategy of any kind in slot games that makes winning more likely. However, should it really be the case that a rite or a supposed strategy coincides with a big loss or a big win, it is still – as always with slot machines – an absolute coincidence.

HOW ARE THE CHANCES?

How high the win or payout ratio is can differ significantly in slot machines compared to classic games of chance – such as roulette or blackjack, where the odds remain essentially the same depending on the type of game. The chances of winning at slot machines often vary greatly depending on the type of machine, country or location. In the gaming paradise of Las Vegas, there are no equal odds. Even within a casino, the win rate can differ significantly depending on the location or machine model. In Germany, too, there is no uniform regulation. A minimum payout rate is usually specified depending on the site, a maximum rate varies greatly. However, one should keep in mind that a high odds does not mean that you have a great chance of hitting the jackpot. The payout percentage also affects small wins and bonus games that you get during the game and make up the total payout percentage.

THE BIG JINGLE IS PREPARED

Only a few years ago, slot machines were “fed” with coins. A win was correspondingly loud, and it rattled for minutes in the winning compartment. Nowadays, bills are used to pay and winnings are usually paid out on the device without cash. You can usually have the total credit printed out directly at the machine on a cashout ticket. The ticket can then be redeemed at the cash desks of the casinos or special payout terminals. Alternatively, you can use the ticket at the bill collection point like a banknote to play at another slot machine. Another payout system on modern machines is the prepaid card format. Here the game balance can be loaded onto a card the size of a credit card. The function is otherwise the same as with the ticket system. The conversion of the payment method took place in the course of the first two decades of the 2000s, so that there is now almost no large casino worldwide that has not switched to the modern deposit and withdrawal system.

A STAR IN THE AUTOMATIC SKY

The most well-known slot machine shows how much a win depends on the chance of the algorithm of the gaming machine. The jackpot of the Lion’s Share slot machine, which was in the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas until 2014, could only be cracked after 21 years with a status of over two million dollars. Previously, many players only drove to the Nevada metropolis to try their luck on the legendary gaming machine. The gaming device even had its own social media fan accounts. Finally, a New Hampshire couple took home the $2.4 million jackpot. You have to be lucky.