The slot machine was invented back in 1897. At this time it wasn’t really intended as a serious gambling option, but rather a distraction for customers at Charles Fey’s auto repair shop. The game took in a way that Fey had never imagined, and while new games were being made by other companies with different symbols on the reels, the game itself was pretty much the same. Even though the slot machine saw some setbacks early in it’s existence, a result of anti-gambling measures that were in full swing in the early part of the 20th century, but these setbacks didn’t really hurt the game too much. The popularity of the games continued to grow, both in the US and overseas. The 1960’s saw the first major leap forward in slot machine technology. This came in the form of electronic slot machines. The machines still had reels with printed symbols on them, but they were now controlled by a computer chip, which meant that manufacturers were able to make the machines smaller and add new features. The next development came not too much later with the invention of video slots. These didn’t do too well at first, since people didn’t quite trust them, even though they were controlled by the exact same type of chip as the other machines of the day. Now that we have the online casino and JackpotCity casino games, the slot machine continues to grow in popularity.