Slots and Fruits – Why Fruit in Your Slot
I bet you have always asked yourself the above question but was probably too busy to bother to find out the answer. Well, for your comfort, know that you are not alone. It is rather a question that is asked by many people. We all know that fruit is something that doctors recommend for us to devour on a daily basis and when you are in a country like Uganda that is filled with so much fruit, your choices are endless. Well, if it’s good for your health, having it on your favorite slot will probably entice you to love it more.
Slots are a whole other breed when it comes to casino games. They add a lot of flavor and color to the scene and they are partly the reason why casinos are always so cheerful and colorful. Not that other casino games are not interesting but games like poker and blackjack always seem to be so formal and serious. With slots, you can expect to find things like loud noise, a lot of binging and pinging, soundtracks and of course the excitement each time a win is made. They are truly a casino game that can be enjoyed both by playing and observation.
Why fruit?
To understand why you find fruit symbols like mangoes, cherries, bananas, oranges, melon and pears among others on your slot game, we need to travel back into their history. So let us delve a little into slot machine history for a little bit
The first slot machine is credited to Charles Fey from San Francisco who in 1899 invented the Liberty Bell, a three-reel coin pay out slot machine. The reels of the machine were made up of six symbols; a horseshoe, space, star, heart diamond and a cracked liberty bell. From that point on and for 75 years, and despite several inventions, the slot machine basically remained the same, with the same mechanism and symbolism.
It was not until the 1900s that Charles Fey teamed up with the Mills Novelty Company with the aim of increasing production and this is when the slot machine started to evolve. It was at that point when fruit symbols were introduced to replace the earlier imagery of the machine. The change of symbol and the new vibrancy of the machine worked so well for many players that at some point it was no longer called a slot machine but a fruit machine.
When gambling was outlawed in the 20th century, slot machines were turned into vending machines and they would give out things like chewing gum and mints. In other words, any wins would not earn players money since the machines dispensed chewing gum in various flavors. Also notable is that all bets would lead to win thus turning the machines into automatic vending machines.
In 1931, gambling was eventually legalized in Nevada and slot machines were introduced in casinos to occupy the wives of the more serious players. However, due to their beautiful imagery, the machines quickly became popular and were generating some good income for the casino houses. By the 1960s slot machines were a favorite in many casino houses and with advancement in technology that allowed for flashing lights and engaging or enticing noises, slots quickly became a firm favorite. Despite other inventions having been made, fruit seemed to stick and it is no surprise that many manufacturers eventually gave up the search for other slot symbols and instead concentrated on including more reels where more fruit could be accommodated.
Slots today
Today the imagery of slots has not changed, just the manner in which they are played. They are no longer as mechanical as they used to be where you had to pull a handle to activate them. They are now more electrical and a push of a button is enough to activate the game.
The internet has also made it possible for you to play slots online and the imagery online has taken slot machines to a whole other level. The vibrancy and availability of a variety of fruit symbols guarantees that players never get a dull moment. Though there are slot games that contain symbols like TV stars and other popular culture, these still cannot beat the traditional classic fruit slots that remain popular even today.