Charles Fey and the Liberty Bell
The first mechanical slot machine, the Liberty Bell, was invented in 1895 by Charles Fey (1862–1944), a car mechanic from San Francisco. This groundbreaking machine featured three spinning reels adorned with symbols like diamonds, spades, hearts, and a cracked Liberty Bell. The highest payout, fifty cents (or ten nickels), was awarded for aligning three Liberty Bell symbols in a row.

The original Liberty Bell machine can still be viewed at the Liberty Belle Saloon & Restaurant in Reno, Nevada. Fey also created other notable machines, including the Draw Power, the Three Spindle, and the Klondike. In 1901, he developed the first draw poker machine. Additionally, Fey invented the trade check separator, a device integrated into the Liberty Bell that distinguished genuine nickels from counterfeit coins or slugs using a detecting pin and a hole in the trade check. He rented his machines to saloons and bars, sharing profits equally with the establishments.

The Growing Demand for Slot Machines
The popularity of the Liberty Bell slot machine soared, and Fey's small shop couldn’t keep up with the demand. Although gambling supply companies sought to acquire the manufacturing and distribution rights, Fey refused to sell. In 1907, Herbert Mills, a Chicago-based arcade machine manufacturer, produced the Operator Bell, a knockoff of the Liberty Bell. Mills introduced fruit symbols—lemons, plums, and cherries—which became iconic in slot machines.

How the Original Slot Machines Worked
Early slot machines, crafted from cast iron, housed three metal reels with ten painted symbols each. Players pulled a lever to spin the reels. If the symbols aligned in a winning combination, coins were dispensed directly from the machine as the jackpot.

The Transition to Electronics
The evolution of gambling machines took a significant turn in 1934 with the PACES RACES, an animated horse race machine. In 1964, Nevada Electronic introduced the first fully electronic gambling machine, the "21" machine. This innovation led to other electronic games for dice, roulette, horse racing, and poker, with Dale Electronics' Poker-Matic becoming particularly popular. By 1975, the Fortune Coin Company had created the first electronic slot machine, marking the start of a new era in gambling technology.