Slot Machines: A Pictorial History of the First 100 Years

Description

Authored by the grandson of the inventor, Slot Machines is the best selling coin-machine publication of all time & has been reprinted in two foreign languages. This definitive history has received a national award from the American Association for State & Local History. The book has been used as a primary source for the History Channel, the Discovery Channel & numerous media articles worldwide. The text describes, in great detail, the slots from their inception up to becoming today's most popular casino game. There are 400 beautiful full color photos of machines from 1891 up to the 21st century. This definitive history is ideal for historians, collectors & players. Copyright......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 8 Table of Contents......Page 9 Why It Happened Here......Page 10 1. San Francisco, Cradle of the Slot Machine (Inception - poker and wheel machines)......Page 15 San Francisco: A Haven for Slots......Page 21 At First, Slots Migrate from the East......Page 22 One of the Early Pioneers......Page 26 Poker is King......Page 28 Royal Flush - 100 Cigars!......Page 29 Legal and Licensed......Page 30 Impotent Patents......Page 32 Poker Thriving "Along the Line"......Page 33 The Floor Machine Invasion......Page 34 Electrics......Page 36 Vying for the S.F. Market......Page 37 2. Charlie Feyand the Liberty Bell (Birth of the bell slot machine)......Page 39 The Man and The Machine......Page 45 Germanic Destiny......Page 46 Birth of the Bell......Page 47 3. A Shaking for the Slot Industry (San Francisco earthquake and fire)......Page 49 Reminescence of Eddie Fey......Page 53 4. Renaissance to Reform (Rebuilding from fire - slots outlawed)......Page 55 Rising from the Ashes......Page 59 Dice......Page 60 5 Slot Machine Innovator (Numerous machines by Charlie Fey)......Page 67 REVAMPING......Page 71 Wheels......Page 72 Arrows......Page 73 Roulette......Page 74 Dice......Page 75 Poker......Page 78 Pocket Machines......Page 80 Scales......Page 82 Charles Fey Machines......Page 83 Accolades for a Pioneer......Page 84 6. Hitting the Jackpot by Larceny (Mills, Caille, Watling bell families)......Page 87 Caille Cashes in on the Liberty Bell......Page 90 Thomas W. B. Watling, the Colorful Entrepreneur.......Page 92 The Beginning of a Dynasty......Page 93 Admiral Dewey and Miss Chicago......Page 94 A Second Bell Family......Page 96 Still Another Bell Family......Page 98 CAILLE'S LIBERTY BELL GUM VENDER......Page 99 A Fourth Bell Family......Page 100 7. The Gum Age: 1910 - 1922 (Slots vend gum - Prohibition)......Page 103 Temperance and Abstinance Lead to Prohibition : Speakeasys Become a Refuge for Slot Machines......Page 104 Why Plums, Bells and Bars?......Page 108 A Fifth Bell Family......Page 109 Gum Keeps 'em Going......Page 110 "Gum Gambling Slot Machines Declared Illegal"......Page 112 8. The Roaring Twenties: Mints and Jackpots (Aluminum - mints - jackpots - speakeasys)......Page 115 Honest Abe and Dishonest Bugs......Page 118 Jackpot Genesis......Page 120 9. The Golden Age: Opulence and Glamour ( Depression - classic designs - raids )......Page 123 Golden Age of Slots Succumbs to Reform......Page 126 Victoria Family......Page 127 Despite Depression - Sales Soared......Page 128 Mills Bell Machines, 1931 - 1942......Page 129 O.D. Jennings......Page 130 The Cream of 32 Years of Coin-machine Experience......Page 131 Watling Classics......Page 132 Watling Bell Machines 1931 -1941......Page 133 End of the Line......Page 134 Caille Bell Machines 1932-1939......Page 135 Bally's Beginnings......Page 137 San Francisco, 1933......Page 138 New York City, 1934......Page 139 Oakland, 1935......Page 140 Los Angeles, 1939 -1946......Page 141 10. Munitions to Annihilation (War - post-war boom - new laws)......Page 143 Buy a Bond and Reserve a Machine !......Page 144 Jennings Capitalizes on Post War Boom......Page 147 Mills Bell Machines 1945 -1950......Page 148 Warren and Johnson Death Sentences......Page 149 11. Circumventing Innovations (Ruses - disguises - substitutes)......Page 151 A Winner Every Time......Page 152 Invention of Check Separator......Page 155 Gum Makes it Legal......Page 157 A Sweet Disguise......Page 158 CIGA-ROLA......Page 159 Put Another Nickel In .........Page 160 Music, Music, Music......Page 161 Fortune Tellers......Page 162 Pay Ya Later......Page 163 Money Back Guarantee......Page 164 Free Play......Page 165 A Game of Skill???......Page 166 Diggers......Page 167 For Duffers and Accountants......Page 168 Play Ball!......Page 169 Hayburners......Page 170 The Basic Art of Camouflage......Page 172 Gambling Guns......Page 173 Baby Bells......Page 174 Pin Game or Slot?......Page 175 Prohibition Against Gaming and Ultimate Repeal......Page 177 Reno : Nevada's Initial Gambling Center......Page 179 From Bordertowns to Cow Counties......Page 185 Atlantic City: Today's Beauty Queens are Resort Hotel Casinos......Page 187 Gambling Bill Passes Nevada Senate by Vote Of Thirteen to Three......Page 189 Reno......Page 190 Downtown......Page 192 Las Vegas......Page 193 Border Towns & Cow Counties......Page 194 Atlantic City Hotel Casinos 1978-1981......Page 195 13. Adopting Slot Machines for Casino Play (New generation of machines and manufacturers)......Page 197 Bally Revolutionizes the Casino Slot......Page 201 From TJM to OTX to Mills Jennings......Page 204 Jennings Bucks Ahead......Page 205 Significant Bally Slot Machines 1963 - 1981......Page 207 The Big Win......Page 208 Microprocessors......Page 210 14. The Electronic Age and Video Slots (TV bells - poker - electronic games)......Page 213 First TV Slot......Page 216 Poker Mania......Page 217 Electronic Casino Games......Page 218 15. Edmund Fey and the Liberty Belle......Page 221 Inventions by Edmund Fey......Page 225 Restoration • • •......Page 228 and Collecting......Page 229 Liberty Belle Collection......Page 230 "Group Gambles on Putting Tribute to Slot Machine"......Page 231 Consoles......Page 233 How the Darn Things Work......Page 234 Mathematics: The Heart of the Machine......Page 235 Index......Page 236 A Century of Slot Machines......Page 244