Everyone who has ever played online slots knows it very well: the slot machine with fruit symbols. Even if such slot machines look a bit primitive and simple nowadays, they are still popular and attract all gamblers with bright colors and beautiful fruits. Besides, fruit symbols are visually very memorable, they add a nice flair to the overall picture. So it’s hardly surprising that many love and enjoy slot machines with fruit symbols. But how did the slot machines with fruit symbols come into existence? Why are fruit symbols used in slot machines? To understand how this tradition came about, we need to take a look at their history of them.
First slot machines with one arm
The first slot machines in history people called one-armed bandits. But why was it so? The first slot machines could be activated simply by pulling the handle or the lever on the side. And in this way, you could make a bet. Of course, modern technology has made the process automated and much easier. Today, all you have to do is push a button and after entering coins, tokens, cash or casino credits, a bet is placed. The player then bets and the reels of symbols begin to spin. The symbols on the reels lined up along the pay lines, determine the size of the payout if any.
It’s amazing how slot machines and the entire world of gambling have evolved. Although slot machine fruits are still popular, many now look much more modern than their predecessors. The developers have enhanced them with bonus symbols and additional features that make the game more interesting and increase your chances of winning. And to play these slot machines, you no longer need to go to a casino. You can play them from the comfort of your home. And today every online casino has in its selection classical slot machines with fruit symbols. Often online casinos even have special promotions for such popular slot machines: for example, there are free spins for some games.
This means that a player can make a certain amount of bets in the slot machines for free, without a deposit. Sometimes such promotions are limited in time, and sometimes they work all the time. Sometimes they are part of the so-called starter package when new players in online casinos receive at beginning of a good bonus. The same goes for popular table games like poker, blackjack and roulette.
Fruit reel symbols
But who was the first to create slot machines with fruit symbols? There is a curious story connected with them. The first slot machines were with card symbols, but America imposed legal restrictions on slot machines. And the American company Industry Novelty Company, and after it, and others resorted to cunning.
Starting in 1907, the Industry Novelty Company began producing slot machines with fruit symbols. Another early manufacturer of slot machines, the Mills Novelty Company, began producing them three years later. On the reels of these slot machines were symbols representing fruits. The most common symbols were cherries, apples, oranges, and melons. In this way, the machine owners were able to avoid prosecution under the anti-gambling laws.
So they began converting their slot machines into bubble gum machines. And to do this, the numbers and suits of cards were replaced with the fruit symbols that we are so familiar with. And after this change, fruit symbols appeared on the reels. Accordingly, the winnings were different types of gum, which were indicated by fruit symbols. At that time, the fruit symbols in automatons did not differ much from today’s symbols. Such fruit symbols are traditional and as a rule, they are cherries, plums, oranges, lemons, pineapples and watermelons. However, of course, it depends on the imagination of the creators. Modern slot machines in online casinos have many reels and many symbols, and often the game process is accompanied by various musical and video effects and animation.
Some historical facts
As for the history of slot machines in general, slot machines with coin payments existed for 20 years before 1907. It is known that Charles Fey invented them. Before slot machines, there were one-armed bandits. The game was a form of poker. When winning combinations came up, the player received free drinks or cigars. These machines usually had five reels with ten cards per reel and the jackpot was the main prize. Perhaps if not for the legal restrictions on gambling slot machines with cards would continue to exist and we would have never known about the existence of slot machines with fruit symbols.
Conclusion
Slot machines with fruit symbols belong to the classics of the entertainment industry. They have had a great influence on this field and on all the gambling games we know today. And they remain invariably popular with players in spite of new technologies, live dealer casinos and VR-reality casino games. What can be more enjoyable than enjoying a simple but cool game with fun and bright fruit symbols? If you have never played a slot game with fruit symbols, you should definitely do it. You are guaranteed to have fun playing one of these games, and you can also make significant winnings because slot games have one of the highest payout ratios.