Liberty Bell

The first slot machine invented. Designed in 1895 by San Francisco machinist Charles Fey, the Liberty Bell slot machine was so-named because the grand prize reel symbol was a representation of the liberty bell.

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The Liberty Bell slot machine was the first 3-reel slot machine invented. Due to the popularity of Charles Fey's design, slot machines followed the classic 3 reel concept for decades to come. In fact, the idea of the slot machine owes itself to Charles Fey and his Liberty Bell machine.

There had been coin machines before the Liberty Bell, but these contraptions tried to mimic card games like poker, instead of inventing an entirely new game. These machines were often called poker machines at the time, so it can be said that the precursor to video poker machines were invented before slot machines were. Poker machines offered prizes like gum, cigarettes and drinks.

Because the Liberty Bell slot machines offered money prizes, they quickly became a major gambling attraction in San Francisco. Charles Fey founded a workshop to keep up production, while also designing new types of slot machines. Meanwhile, the popularity of the Liberty Bell ignited a local controversy, as anti-gambling activists were particularly offended by machines that made no bones about the gambling aspect (offering coins instead of gum).

The Liberty Bell would be outlawed in San Francisco, then throughout California, and finally Nevada. This didn't stop Charles Fey, as he continued to produce slot machines decade after decade. He continued in the business into the 1920's. By the time Charles Fey died in 1944, slot machines were a major attraction for the new Las Vegas casinos, and the Liberty Bell slot machine had become a piece of history.

The Liberty Bell had three reels and five different reel symbols: diamonds, spades, hearts, horseshoes and, of course, liberty bells. As the reels turned, the symbols would come to rest in different reel positions. If three of the right symbols came to rest on the payline, the player would win coins in return. Since the invention of Liberty Bell slots in 1895, there have been many changes and innovations in slot machine concepts: random number generators, video slots, linked slots networks and progressive jackpots. But slots player continue to love to play Classic 3-Reel slots like Charles Fey invented with the Liberty Bell.