The first slot machine was invented in 1895 by Charles Fey. He then teamed up with Mills Novelty Company the manufacturer of the “Mills Liberty Bell”, in 1907, to improve his innovation further. The Liberty Bell featured a cast iron case with cast iron feet with toes. Later, the toes were replaced with elaborately decorated feet. The machine’s reel strips depicted playing cards – the king, queen, and jack. The machine also had a bell that rang when you hit a winning combo, but this soon became redundant. However, a similar version in the form of a ringing indicator still exists today, when a jackpot is won.
In 1910, the Mills Novelty Company introduced a variant to the Liberty Bell, naming it the Operator Bell. The cast iron slots were heavy, weighing over 100 pounds and more than 30,000 machines were made. It had a gooseneck coin entry and showcased the ever famous fruit symbols which even now are popularly used in slot machines.
This “Liberty Bell” forms the foundation to all modern American slot machines. Its basic design continues to be used in most mechanical gaming devices today. The simple mechanical devices with three old-style reels holding 20 symbols have progressed into microprocessor-controlled devices with up to five spinning reels holding hundreds of symbols.
The era of cast iron machines came to an end in 1915 when Mills introduced slot machines with less expensive wood cabinets. In the early 1930s, the Mills Novelty Company made several changes to its line of slot machines that revolutionized the industry. The machines were much quieter and thus acquired the name “Silent Bell” in the 1930s. Then a double jackpot was introduced assuring players that he could win quickly and twice over. To make the machines more impressive and enticing, Mills introduced new cabinet designs with attractive colors and each bearing its own theme.
In 1931, the first such machine was called the Lion Head, then newer versions later that year were known as the War Eagle and the Roman Head, and in 1933, it was the Castle Front.