Whether you are a casual casino goer or a regular gambler who loves to play different games at casinos, we are sure that you must have played slots. Slot machines are seen as the epitome of the casino experience. A longstanding favorite for many gamblers, slot machines have been a go-to casino game since it was introduced in the 18th century.
Millions of gamblers visit land-based casinos every year to enjoy the thrill of casino games, and hundreds of thousands of them flock to slot machines in those establishments. The game is incredibly easy to learn, simple to play, offers fast-paced action and does not require a tactical approach for you to play. You just spin the reels and hope to land a combination that could win you big money.
Slot machines come in all shapes and sizes, whether it is mechanical slots, video slots, or different theme-based slot machines. Fruit slot machines are one of the classics when it comes to theme-based slot machines. Whether you are playing at a land-based casino or through online slots websites like Enjoy Slots, you will find fruit slot machines.
Fruit slots are one of the most common slot themes across all gaming software providers and land-based slot machine manufacturers. Are you curious about why they use fruits as symbols in certain slot machines? Do you want to know how it all started and what do they mean?
Today, we will discuss everything you need to know about fruit slots, including the most used symbols in fruit slots and what they mean.
A Brief History Of Fruit Slots
Before the juicy fruits became the most commonly used icons on reels in slot machines, there were the bells. The first mechanical gambling machine was made by Charles Fey in 1887 and it was inspired by the game of poker. This game was called the Liberty Bell because it featured three spinning reels with five different symbols: hearts, diamonds, spades, horseshoe, and the famous Liberty Bell.
Of all the symbols featured on the machine, the golden bell was the most valuable of all the icons. If the slot machine aligned three reels with the s symbol, it would result in a jackpot win. But after that, other manufacturers copied Fey’s game. Gradually, the game became popular and found its way to the UK. However, the British government eventually outlawed these machines, completely shaking the gambling scene in Britain.
The solution came in the form of an optional gum vending attachment, and that is where the fruits first came in. Chewing gums had delicious and juicy fruit flavors, making it more than convenient to include various fruit pictures for symbols for different gums. The modified devices used at the time in the UK let you enjoy the experience of playing slots by winning these flavored gums, blurring the lines between vending machines and slot machines.
It became a turning point for slot machines and remained relevant in the UK until the gradual revival of the original purpose that these machines had: to place bets on spins and win monetary prizes when you land a winning spin.
There was also a brief ban on gaming and slot machines here in the US during the early 1900s, and it wasn’t until Nevada opened its doors to gamblers that these slot machines became popular again. During the revival of slot machines, game manufacturers chose to go with the more aesthetically pleasing and seemingly innocent symbols instead of sticking with the playing card symbols previously used.
Many gambling game operators even used these fruit slot machines to circumvent the ban on gambling. Since the fruit-vending machines and slot machines blurred the boundaries, owners would assure law enforcement that these machines were nothing more than vending machines offering customers different choices of gum. It became a standing joke, but law enforcement allowed many of these to carry on, provided that the establishments “took care” of the officers.
The gradual legalization of slot machines saw these makeshift vending machines get restored to their original form here in the States.
Do The Fruit Symbols On Slot Machines Mean Anything?
Unfortunately, the different fruits in various slot machines, whether on land-based machines or virtual slot machines, do not carry a deeper meaning behind them. They were a few of the most innocent-looking symbols that casino game manufacturers could use to pass the slot machines off fruit-flavored gum vending machines during the time gambling and slot machines were banned in the country.
In A Nutshell
The reason these casino games and slot machines saw a temporary ban during the 1900s was the blatant use of rigged machines by many casino operators that would turn the tides heavily in favor of the casinos. Instead of giving gamblers a fair chance to win, the rigged machines would only take the money from gamblers while guaranteeing little to no returns through payouts. It is also the reason why slot machines also got the name “one-armed bandit” because they used to have a lever to pull on the side for spins.
Did you find this post on the most used symbols in fruit slots an informative read? There is plenty more where that came from. Follow Enjoy Slots to read more posts about everything related to slots that can help you learn more about the game and catch up on the tips and tricks you need to improve your odds.
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