When Charles Fey introduced the world to his Liberty Bell slot at the end of the 19th century, little did he know that he had invented a device that, over time, would become the most popular casino entertainment in history.
Fey's original design was a simplified version of a slot that was based on the 52 cards in a pack. Fey's genius was to realise that to effectively mechanise the slot, the key to the machine being profitable and workable, was that he had to simplify the number of possible outcomes the machine had.
As such, his original slot only had five symbols, but in doing so allowed him to develop a mechanised system that allowed players to receive pay outs when they hit a winning line.
And so, the very first workable online slot was devised and soon, Fey could not make the machines fast enough to cope with demand, such was the appetite within the Californian gambling community for his new device.
For the best part of the next 70 to 80 years, the principle of the mechanised slot remained unchanged. As technology improved, so the machines grew more complex but in essence, the machines remained based on the same ideas that Fey had first championed almost a century ago.
The biggest innovation that changed that was the invention of the silicon chip. Another Californian invention, these small processors were put to a myriad of different uses inside the first computers but it became quickly apparent that these miracle devices could be put to a myriad of other uses.
Of course, slot gaming was one of them. Soon electronic slots were being developed with a micro-processor central to the core build of the machine. The game may have reels and still be mechanised, but the fact that the new microchip could do millions of calculations in a second meant that no longer were slots restricted to just a relatively few number of results on every spin.
By using the microchip as a random number generator, slots were now able to boast ever increasing levels of complexity and games could now be linked together to build progressive jackpots, there were many more symbols across the reels, indeed you could even have 4 or even 5 reels with a large number of paylines available.
The evolution of the slot in the real world saw it emerge from essentially a limited amusement, into one that could generate casinos a vast profit, while at the same time promising players bigger and more accessible jackpots, as well as a host of new features including wild symbols, scatter symbols, bonus games, multiplier bonuses and more.
However, while mechanised slots in casinos were hugely popular, by the 1990's another important shift was taking place in how we use slots. The Internet was quickly growing as a resource and it did not take casinos too long to realise that this new platform offered them a potentially lucrative new opportunity.
Now the problem facing casinos was simple; how could they offer the same types of slots (and table games) that are available in the real world casino, to their Internet-based customers.
The answer was, and is, software
The process of turning a real-world, mechanical object into a virtual object starts with a casino partnering with a software development company, Microgaming is a good example of one here.
The software development company will have the basic outline of an online slot already programmed. This includes the key element and what is the heartbeat of the online slot, the Random Number Generator (RNG).
This piece of code is actually more complex than simply a number selector. What actually happens is that on every spin, the RNG will select a random number for each reel, then divide this total by another randomly selected number to give a definitive result. As a result, there can be billions of possibilities on every spin.
The next stage in the development of the anatomy of an online slot is to tweak the payout percentages of the game based on what you want the game to be. Casino operators may elect to have a high variance game (such as one with a large progressive jackpot) where players receive fewer payouts, but generally higher amounts or a lower variance game, which sees more payouts, but generally of smaller amounts.
After the foundation of the online slot has been finalised, the next stage comes in realising the visual interpretation of this data on screen. Of course, most slots players are familiar with reels, but there is actually no need for software developers to use reels to show the results of a spin. Indeed, many only do so because it is in keeping with the feeling of playing a slot and it is, perhaps more importantly, what slot players are used to and expect when they play.
Most software developers will have a basic program for the slots which they can personalise for the slot in question based on the theme of the slot. So if the theme of the slot is American Football or surfing, the symbols, sound effects and in game bonuses, features and music will all be reflective of this.
The developer will then tweak the game still further, adding the requisite bonus features, multipliers and whatnot to the foundation game, thus giving the slot added appeal. Again, all these features will be themed based on the subject of the slot.
Once these features are completed and the slot is complete, it is then ready for testing. This is where the slot is submitted to an accredited testing company, such as eCogra, who will test the slot over millions of spins to ensure that the payout levels are as stated and that the slot plays as it is advertised to do so.
If the slot passes the test, it is certified and then casinos can then add this slot to their range of games, which you can play at a host of virtual online casinos.
It is tempting to think that the anatomy of a modern slot is the same as the older, mechanised version, just online. In actual fact, they are completely different. The only principles they share is that it is an entirely randomised form of gambling.
The modern slot boasts a number of advantages over the older mechanised version in that it is more flexible, reaches more people, is easier to network across multiple sites and games and is also playable at a wide range of wager levels, meaning you can play for 100 a spin, or 0.01 per spin.
In truth, the anatomy of a modern slot is a falsehood. Software developers and casinos have chosen to develop slot games like this because that is what customers are used to and, crucially, that is what has proven to be hugely popular with the modern slot gamer.
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