The Invention of Slot Machines

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The Invention of Slot Machines
The first mechanical slot machine was the Liberty
Bell, invented in 1895 by car mechanic, Charles
Fey (18621944) of San Francisco.
The Liberty Bell slot machine had three spinning
reels. Diamond, spade, and heart symbols were
painted around each reel, plus the image of a
cracked Liberty Bell. A spin resulting in three
Liberty Bells in a row gave the biggest payoff, a
grand total of fifty cents or ten nickels.
The original Liberty Bell slot machine can still
be seen be at the Liberty Belle Saloon
Restaurant in Reno, Nevada. Other Charles Fey
machines include the Draw Power, and Three
Spindle and the Klondike. In 1901, Charles Fey
invented the first draw poker machine.
Charles Fey was also the inventor of the trade
check separator, which was used in the Liberty
Bell. The hole in the middle of the trade check
allowed a detecting pin to distinguish fake
nickels or slugs from real nickels. Fey rented
his machines to saloons and bars based on a 50/50
split of the profits.?