Fula– From their inception, slot machines very quickly became a popular form of gambling but the American government decided to ban them. Owners got around the law by declaring them vending machines and if someone won, they were paid in items like sweets or cigars. They would take these to the counter where they were redeemable for money.
– Slots are known by different names in different parts of the world. In Australia they are pokies and in Britain they are called fruit machines but their other moniker is the One-Armed Bandit. The name comes from old slot machines that had a lever on the side which looked like an arm. Bandits in San Francisco learned how to fix this handle so that they were paid out and so the term One-Armed Bandit stuck.
– The biggest slot machine in the world was called Super Big Bertha. This was appropriate because of the jackpot and the size of the machine. She stood 2.5m high, 2m wide and no one had the strength to pull the lever so it was operated by a motor. The jackpot was a million dollars but the chances of hitting it were unfortunately 25.6 billion to 1.