Back to the blog
July 11th, 2023
Share the article:
The history of slot machines, we give you more details
- "The die is cast"; said by Caesar as he crossed the Rubicon River in 49 BC, breaking Roman law and starting civil war. (Latin: the dice are rolled.)
You got it, the dice game has been around for a while. There are therefore a multitude of variants on this age-old game.
To get to our current machines, we start with American inventor Charles Fey who made the Liberty Bell in 1898.
The Liberty Bell is considered the ancestor of today's slot machines and operates with a simple three-piece mechanism. Although today's machines are more complicated and computer-controlled, the principle is actually still the same.
Simply put, a slot machine has a number of reels that have symbols on them. You will find a table with some winning combinations and the associated payouts on the machines. The reels spin and if you have a winning combination of symbols when the reels are stationary, you win.
These devices are now better known as: slot machine, jackpot or one-armed bandit.
These machines remained relatively unknown for the first few years, but were introduced to the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas shortly after World War II.
Notorious gangster boss Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel invested heavily in slot machines to entertain the female company of his wealthy clientele. Siegel didn't originally think this game would become popular, but it quickly became the casino's most popular attraction.
Today, slot machines account for around two-thirds of casino revenue.
Slots in Belgium
In Belgium, you could also find jackpots in cafés until they were banned in 1975. Since then, they have only been allowed in Belgian casinos.
In the following years, you only saw the familiar bingo in Belgian cafés, until pay slot machines hit the market in the 90s.
This variation of the jackpot, where you have to connect dice in three or four different frames (slots), was an instant hit. In the end, slot machines fell victim to their own success.
Slot machines were much more accessible than bingo, so the game also became very popular with young people. There were also slots in many youth cafes. Also, many bar owners have been found to allow underage players to play. In addition, many cafes have been transformed into small arcades.
A political consensus quickly emerged on the future of these games and in 2001 slot machines were banned in cafes.
Since then, you can only play slot machines in Belgian arcades or gaming halls where a minimum age of 21 applies.
Dice games and later dice slot machines remain the most popular games in Belgian gambling halls to this day.
This principle also applies to Luckygames, although we are talking about online dice games and online slots.
The world of online dice games and online slots is booming, with new games being developed much faster than real (offline) slots. The main reasons for this are lower production costs and greater accessibility.
