When Microgaming developed the first online casino in the 1990s, the games also came with symbols – many early online slots featured fruit and playing card numbers and letters.
The inventor of slots, Charles Fey, also used horseshoes (for luck) and an icon of the Liberty Bell as symbols on his very first slots. In keeping with the gambling theme, the very first slot game symbols were playing cards. Although they were much more rudimentary than the highly interactive and themed games we can see at our favorite online casinos now, they did have something in common with top modern games like Starburst, Book of Dead and Sweet Bonanza – they all had symbols. The original slot games were invented around 1895, if you can believe it.
Way before slot games existed on the internet, you could spin the reels of classic slots in real-life casinos – of course, it wasn’t as convenient as being able to play from your computer or mobile device. Get Up To $1000 + 50 Free Spins to Play Online Slots at A Brief History of Slot Machines