How fruit machines got their fruit
Cherries, lemons and the BAR all come from chewing gum.
By Ryan Jessop. Last checked .
Key takeaways
- Early 1900s machines paid in gum.
- Fruit symbols showed the flavours.
- BAR was a gum company's logo.
- Britain kept the name.
In shortFruit symbols appeared in the early 1900s on machines that paid out fruit-flavoured chewing gum, a way round laws against cash gambling. The BAR symbol began as a gum maker's logo.
Gum instead of cash
Where cash-paying machines were banned, makers built machines that dispensed gum. The reels showed the flavours: cherry, lemon, orange, plum.
The BAR
The bar symbol is generally traced to the logo of the Bell-Fruit Gum Company.
In Britain
The name stuck. British pub machines developed their own features, holds, nudges and feature trails, and are still called fruit machines whatever is on the reels.
Keep reading: Coral Casino slot machines, UK slot machine rules, The paytable and Video slot machines.
Cherries pay first
On many traditional machines a single cherry on the first reel pays a small prize, two pay more and three more still. It is one of the few symbols that never needed a full line.
Fruit today
Fruit symbols now signal a retro style. Online "fruit slots" are ordinary video slots with a classic look.
Go further: Why slot machines are so absorbing, Nudges and Starburst vs Big Bass Bonanza.
Keep reading: Hold buttons, How to win on slot machines, Pub slot machines and UK slot machine categories.
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
Why do slot machines have fruit?
Early machines paid in fruit gum.
What does BAR mean?
It began as a gum company logo.
Why 'fruit machine'?
From the fruit symbols.
When did this start?
The early 1900s.