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Slots
are a gambling game played on a machine in a casino. Slots are also
known as 'one-armed bandits' because of the large lever held at
the side of the machine. Pitt and Sittman developed the first slots
during 1891 in Brooklyn.
Initially
the game was created as another way to play poker. Accordingly,
the machine was made up of five drums comprising of 50 playing cards,
and a lever was used to spin the cards around. The gambling player
would hope that when the machine stopped revolving a good poker
hand would be displayed. However, in those days there were no large
payouts, often all that was won was a free drink or cigar.
In
1895 Charles Fey created an even simpler mechanism. This eventually
learned how to 'read' a winning hand and Fey produced a machine
that gave an automatic payout. Fey's game consisted of only three
revolving drums, and as an alternative to the playing cards, his
machine displayed five symbols of a Liberty bell, horseshoe, spades,
hearts and diamonds. The largest payout went to the gambling player
who achieved a row of three bells.
In
the United States the slots game is allowed to be played in a casino
(only in a casino) and some states even restrict which type of slots
can be played. However, slots without restrictions can be found
in a casino at Las Vegas or Atlantic City and are commonly known
as 'Vegas-style slots'. Undoubtedly, slots have become a popular
casino game for most gambling players.
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