Remember the days when slot machines would pay out in fruit gums?

Probably not – for almost anyone reading this would have to be around 130 years old. If that’s your age, then Mazel tov on reaching such a ripe number of years. But if you’re under 130, you might wondered why slots machines  are sometimes called “fruit machines” in Britain, and why traditionally they use fruits and berried symbols to determine payout ratios and combinations. Are those cherries, bananas, and melons on the reels by chance?

The answer is no. We know that it was Charles Fey who invented the first automatic slot machine in 1887. Fey’s device contained three spinning reels with five different symbols – diamonds, hearts, spades, horseshoes and the single Liberty Bell, which was, incidentally, the name that Fey gave to his invention. In case you're interested, the original Liberty Bell is still alive and well (though out of official operation) and is on display at the Liberty Belle Saloon & Restaurant in Reno, Nevada.

Fey’s Liberty Bell became immensely popular soon after it materialised, and even though gambling devices were strictly banned in some states soon after Liberty Bell was made public, the excitement and sheer novelty of the machine was enough to ensure sufficient demand such that Fey could barely keep with production. It's one of the many reasons why the device was copied and replicated by a number of manufacturers all seeking a piece of the market.

Soon after word of Fey’s invention spread, the Bell–Fruit Gum Company had an ingenious marketing idea. In order to avoid the contravention of existing gambling laws while promoting their own brand of fruit gums, the company awarded prizes in the form of food – specifically candy that came in cherry, banana, and melon flavors. Bell-Fruit’s logo was the BAR symbol, which is probably still the single most prevalent reel symbol on the slot machines to this day. A number of ensuing court cases followed Bell-Fruit’s industry innovation. Companies were accused of trying to sidestep the law (which they were!) by paying out candy instead of cold cash. The principle, argued detractors, was that a player would receive something for nothing, thereby appealing to his propensity to gamble.

But courts couldn't keep the slot machine from developing and gaining in popularity. Today, the majority of slots operating in most modern casinos are not based on mechanical reels or levers, but are rather digitally configured to use random-number generators according to predefined payout formulas. Technology has allowed the humble slot machine to evolve as the decades have gone by. It is curious that the fruit symbols associated with the marketing campaigns of a single candy company should become such an iconic element of the slot’s presence in the modern era. We're not sure how enamored a casino patron would be today were he compensated for his gambling investment via a selection of mints and candies, but we're glad those fruity marks are still there –they're a testament to the slot machine’s passage through time.