Key takeaways
- Mechanical: 1890s.
- Electromechanical: 1960s.
- Video: 1970s.
- Online: 1990s.
In shortSlot machines went from purely mechanical in the 1890s, to electromechanical in the 1960s, to video in the 1970s and online in the mid-1990s.
Four steps
| Era | Technology | What it changed |
|---|---|---|
| 1890s | Mechanical reels, springs and a lever | Automatic payouts |
| 1960s | Electromechanical: motors and a hopper | Bigger payouts; no lever needed |
| 1970s | Video screen and RNG | Odds set by software; more reels and lines |
| 1990s | Online | Play anywhere; thousands of games |
| 2010s | Mobile and new mechanics | Megaways, pays-anywhere grids |
| Year | Machine | First to |
|---|---|---|
| 1890s | Liberty Bell (Charles Fey) | Pay out automatically from three reels |
| 1907 | Mills Liberty Bell | Copy Fey's design at scale |
| 1963 | Money Honey (Bally) | Run fully on electromechanics, with a 500-coin hopper |
| 1976 | Fortune Coin | Show its reels on a video screen |
| 2016 | Megaways (Big Time Gaming) | Change the number of symbols per reel each spin |
The decisive change
Moving from physical reels to a random number generator separated what a machine shows from how its odds are set, and made large jackpots and elaborate features possible.
The lever
Once motors spun the reels, the lever was decoration. It survives as a button, and in the phrase one-armed bandit.
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Britain's own path
British pub machines developed separately, with skill-flavoured features such as holds and nudges and tight limits on stakes and prizes. Online slots arrived in Britain under a licensing system set up in the mid-2000s.
Mobile
From the 2010s most play moved to phones, and new machines are designed for a small upright screen first.
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Keep reading: Nudges, The best time to play slot machines, Arcade slot machines and The Liberty Bell.
Slot figures are developers' published defaults, each confirmed against two sources; the version at your casino can differ. UK land-based stake and prize limits and online rule dates were checked against Gambling Commission and licensing authority sources on 6 October 2026. History follows commonly cited accounts. Offer terms dated 5 October 2026. How we check. 18+. Free help: 0808 8020 133 or safer gambling.
Frequently asked questions
When did slot machines go electronic?
The 1960s and 1970s.
When did online slots begin?
The mid-1990s.
What was the first video slot?
One introduced in Las Vegas in the mid-1970s.
Why did the lever go?
Motors replaced it.