What or Who Is Called a “One-Armed Bandit”?

The craving for gambling has led to the invention of many games of chance, some of which are thousands of years old. However, this industry experienced a real boom when, at the end of the 19th century, the first “one-armed bandits”, known today as slot machines, were invented and presented in gambling houses.

Where Did Slot Machines Come from?

The very idea and principle of operation of slot machines came from poker. In 1891, mechanics Sitman and Pitt invented the poker machine with 5 reels and 50 playing cards. It was necessary to throw a coin into the machine, after which, pulling the lever and watching the rotation of 5 reels – as you know, combinations of 5 cards are played out in poker. At that time, slots were not yet able to give out automatic winnings, so if they got a successful combination, players had to ask the bartender for it. It is absolutely known that dishonest owners cheated, replacing significant cards from the deck. This led to the fact that the fall of the highest winning combinations (for example, the Royal Flush) was minimized, turning these machines into a profitable business.

Due to the wild popularity of poker machines, the German mechanic Charles Fey embodied this idea in a new quality – the 4-11-44 machine. These first real slots already had 3 reels and a lever, thanks to which they received the name “one-armed bandits”. Fey invented the first machine with automatic payouts in 1898 – it was the “Liberty Bell”, named because of the famous symbol of New York, which is present on the reels along with card suits. The combination of 3 bells gave a “super prize” of as much as 50 cents! However, this is how the idea of ​​the jackpot was born. Among Fey’s innovative inventions for the slot machine was the coin checking mechanism, i.e. the slot machine could detect the fake among nickels and pennies. On the first slot, card symbols of diamonds, hearts, and spades were used; horseshoes, as a symbol of good luck, and the Liberty Bell.

Why Did They Get Such a Name?

The “one-armed bandit” is a slang term and was first mentioned back in the days when there were first saloons and gaming clubs with mechanical slot machines. One of the regular visitors to these establishments drew attention to the fact that the slot machine has a very specific design. Namely, to start the process of playing on such a machine, it was necessary to pull the lever, which reminded of the human hand’s shape.

Now let’s see why it is a “bandit”. To do this, we need to dive into the history of the creation of slot machines. The fact is that they are called “bandits”, it’s just that players in a breakthrough of excitement, stop controlling themselves and can lose just huge amounts of money on such gaming slots. After all, the percentage of successful games on the old mechanical slot machines was too miserable. And the game itself was a dubious profitable act. This is not a modern one-armed bandit for you to play for free at the online casino, where the percentage of winnings is even nothing. Actually, against this background, the old slot machines look like real crooks and “bandits”.

However, the mechanical slot machines of the early 20th century were primarily coin-operated vending machines with prizes instead of cash they offered mints, cigarettes, and chewing gum. But slots with cash withdrawal were only in casinos and gaming establishments that had a gambling license.