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History of Slot Games

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Slot machines are easily one of the world’s most recognizable and iconic forms of gambling. Because of this, it is estimated that almost 1.8 million slot machines are active in casinos around the globe.

Like anything else, however, slots were not always this popular. From a humble beginning, they have grown in complexity, ingenuity, and entertainment value over the years. This has been especially true since the advent of online slots – the best of which you can find on visit slotsource.com.

To trace back the origins of these great gambling machines, we’ve outlined the history of the slot. So, read on to see how your favorite gambling medium grew to be what it is today.

The Idea of Slots

While technically it is a slot machine, the first ever slot is not considered actually to be one by most people. This is because the machine, invented in 1891 by Sittman and Pitt in New York, didn’t pay out any cash. Instead, all prizes were paid out in free drinks or cigars. This makes sense because these machines were mainly found in pubs and bars.

The machine was relatively simple and gave the main idea from which modern slot machines evolved. The slot had five drums used to play. These drums rotated on a central pin until a lever was used to activate a stopping mechanism, which stopped the drums one at a time. This lever is what is credited for the nickname one-armed bandit.

Each drum held ten cards from a standard playing deck totaling 50 cards. The only cards missing from this deck were the ten of spades and the jack of hearts. The reason for excluding these cards was to increase the house edge and give players a lower chance of winning.

The First Slot

Building on the idea of Sittman and Pitt, Charles Fey began working on his version of a slot machine. Because it offered automatic payouts and, in later versions, even featured coin checkers to detect fake coins, Charles is credited with being the father of slot machines and first released his invention in 1895.

After using bells as a symbol in the game, his machine (called the Liberty Bell) only featured three reels rather than the five of Sittman and Pitt. It also didn’t feature any cards. Instead, it used hearts, diamonds, spades, horseshoes, and the iconic liberty bell.

The reduced reels and symbols made it easier for the machine to detect a win and pay out accordingly. However, while the machine was hugely popular, Fey forgot to patent his design. Because of this, other producers quickly began cloning the machine and flooding the market.

Due to the influx of machines and the popularity of gambling, the government decided to take action. So, in 1902, gambling was officially outlawed. However, slot manufacturers found a unique way around the ban rather than curbing the problem.

Machines were designed to offer payouts of prizes like candy or other treats rather than money. These offered people the same thrill of gambling but ensured they only received something they could snack on rather than cash. During this era, a manufacturer called Herbert Mills produced the first ever machine using fruit symbols, which are still widely used today.

The Electrical Slot Revolution

By 1964, many companies were trying to develop the next big slot machine. This development was accelerated because gambling was seen as more acceptable, and the laws regarding the activity were beginning to soften. No company made as much progress, however, as Bally.

Bally is credited with inventing the first ever electromechanical slot machine. This machine, titled Money Honey, featured fully electric reels that could pay out up to 500 coins — a feat no other slot could boast. Even though the machine was electric, the trusted lever was still present, as it was thought that removing it would throw off people from what they had been used to doing.

The release of Money Honey sparked a new era in slots, and soon many other companies began producing fully electric slot machines. During the evolution of the machines, the popular lever used was abandoned in favor of a simple button.

Slots continued in much the same vein until 1976, when something new blew the industry wide open.

Video Slots

In 1976, after many years of much of the same, a company called Fortune Coin (which would later be bought by IGT) produced the world’s first video slot machine. The game used a TV screen display and a random number generator that strongly resembles today’s slot machines.

After initial testing in Vegas, the machine grew massively in popularity, and video slots became the norm worldwide. Then, in 1996, the industry was again shaken up by the introduction of the first slot that also had a bonus round.

Adding a bonus to games made slots the most popular form of gaming by far. As such, slots began taking over most space in physical casinos. At the same time, online slots started making an appearance in the library of online casinos.

Online Slots and Onward

While the first online casinos, which appeared in the late 90s, usually only offered games like roulette, slots soon began making their way into many different casino game libraries. Their popularity soon caught on like wildfire, and many developers started looking to develop the next great game in earnest.

Soon, online slots took on a life of their own and were no longer developed to emulate the games offered in physical casinos. Instead, because of the freedom to be creative, developers began producing many unique and wonderful games that accelerated the popularity of gambling online.

Since then, online slots have become an almost unbelievably big industry. The online gambling market, worth $61.5 billion in 2021, is said to be comprised of as much as 70% slots. This means that of this massive amount, slot games alone generate almost $43.05 billion.

This growth means that slots have continued to grow and are still actively being developed. Today, work is underway to adapt slots to virtual and augmented reality to try and discover the next great leap in the evolution of this gambling icon.

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Golden Nugget Online Casino Debuts in Ontario

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Golden Nugget Online Gaming has officially entered the Canada online casino market with its launch in Ontario.

Backed by DraftKings technology, the brand is now offering players a feature-rich mobile and desktop gaming platform. This move also marks the first time the Golden Nugget brand has expanded outside the US.

The casino debuted with more than 2000 slot titles, alongside blackjack, roulette, and craps. The platform is available on iOS and Android, ensuring accessibility across devices.

With its debut in “The Heartland Province,” Ontario becomes the fifth region where Golden Nugget operates, joining Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Matt Kalish, President of DraftKings North America, noted that this development is a welcome opportunity for the brand to provide top-quality online casino gaming for players in a burgeoning iGaming market.

Kalish added: “Golden Nugget is one of the most iconic brands in gaming, and we are thrilled to be live in Ontario with its robust mobile casino offering. The Golden Nugget Online Gaming casino app offers hundreds of popular casino games, exclusive content, smooth navigation, premium support, and a dynamic loyalty program – all backed by DraftKings’ cutting-edge technology.”

Ontario’s regulated iGaming market is already crowded. iGaming Ontario reports that the province hosts 50 licensed operators and 87 active gaming websites. Importantly, online casinos account for 88% of cash wagers. In June alone, the vertical produced CA$243 million in net gaming revenue from CA$7.26 billion in total wagers.

Golden Nugget aims to stand out with both classic and exclusive content. Players can access land-based favorites like Huff N’ More Puff, Cleopatra, and Hypernova Megaways. Exclusive DraftKings titles such as Rocket, Dollar Up, and Quakey Shakey also enhance the library. Many jackpot titles even exceed $1 million.

The post Golden Nugget Online Casino Debuts in Ontario appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Casino ATM Scam in Edmonton Reveals Money Laundering and Drug Links

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Law enforcement in Alberta continues to search for the last suspect in a sophisticated fraud operation that targeted ATMs in Edmonton-area casinos and resulted in over CAD 1 million ($720,487) in losses throughout Western Canada.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has confirmed that Hisham Ismaeel, 28, remains at large with a province-wide warrant for his arrest. He faces charges of fraud exceeding $5000 and possessing proceeds of crime. Police have already arrested four other men linked to the scheme. Investigators describe the operation as a well-planned effort to exploit financial systems and clean dirty money.

The accused, Elliot Miao, 42, Van Bau Ta, 39, Hassan Jaafar Haydar Ahmad, 37, and Dennis Jones, 42, showed up in the Alberta Court of Justice last week. They face charges from fraud and money laundering to owning criminal property. Miao also has a narcotics trafficking charge after police found cocaine when they searched with warrants.

Investigators claim the group made coordinated withdrawals at several casino ATMs, timing their transactions to avoid getting caught. This action messed up ATM networks in the area and showed flaws in the systems that banks and casinos use to stop misuse.

The RCMP Federal Policing Northwest Region led an investigation that involved six search warrants in Edmonton. The Edmonton Police Service, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC), and several banks supported this effort. Officials said the case shows how teamwork between public agencies and the private sector plays a key role in combating modern financial crime.

AGLC representatives pointed out that casino operators in the province must follow strict reporting and surveillance rules under Canada’s anti-money laundering laws. The specific casinos affected remain unnamed, but the Edmonton region has seven licensed facilities. AGLC said its policies helped spot problems and backed the RCMP’s investigation.

Compliance experts say this fraud shows how criminals change their methods to take advantage of weak spots in reporting limits and transaction checks. They claim that casinos, which deal with lots of cash, are still easy targets unless they keep improving their detection systems and teach their front-line workers to notice coordinated actions like several big withdrawals happening one after another.

For now, the case highlights both the money and crime aspects of casino-related fraud. Besides the million-dollar losses, finding drugs during the raids points to a bigger criminal operation where financial crimes and drug dealing overlap.

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Bragg Gaming

Bragg Confirms Cyber Attack – Hackers Access Internal IT Systems

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Bragg Gaming Group, a leading online gaming technology provider, has confirmed a major cybersecurity incident that compromised its internal IT infrastructure in the early hours of Saturday, August 16, 2025.

The company detected unauthorized intrusion attempts that successfully breached its internal network, triggering an immediate and comprehensive incident response.

Key Takeaways

  • Bragg Gaming Group experienced a cybersecurity breach involving access to internal IT systems.

  • No customer personal data or payment information appears to have been compromised.

  • The company has enacted full containment and investigation protocols.

Details of the Breach

According to a preliminary forensic analysis by Bragg’s internal security team, the attack was a targeted breach aimed at the company’s internal computer environment. While the exact method of intrusion is still under investigation, early indicators suggest a sophisticated exploit of internal network vulnerabilities.

Fortunately, the company’s customer-facing systems, including sensitive user data and financial information, appear to have been unaffected. Bragg’s existing encryption protocols and access control systems successfully prevented the attackers from accessing customer information.

Immediate Response Measures

In response to the breach, Bragg launched a multi-tiered containment strategy, including:

  • Network Segmentation to isolate affected systems

  • Enhanced Monitoring of data flows across its Remote Games Server (RGS) platform

  • Security Audits of critical infrastructure, including the Bragg Hub and PAM systems

  • Engagement of Independent Cybersecurity Experts to assist in incident analysis and system hardening

Bragg’s Security Operations Center has also elevated its alert level, initiating 24/7 monitoring across all server clusters and network endpoints. In addition, company-wide penetration testing is now underway to proactively identify any residual vulnerabilities.

Business Continuity Maintained

Despite the severity of the breach, Bragg reports that its operations remain unaffected. All gaming services, including iCasino and sportsbook offerings across regulated markets, continue to function without disruption.

“While this incident is deeply concerning, we are confident in the rapid and thorough response initiated by our team,” a company spokesperson stated. “We remain committed to protecting our infrastructure, our partners, and most importantly, our players.”

Looking Ahead

As part of its response, Bragg has also launched mandatory security awareness training for all employees to reinforce best practices and prevent future incidents.

Cybersecurity analysts will continue working with Bragg to determine the full scope of the attack, improve system resilience, and maintain the trust of its users and stakeholders.

Bragg’s handling of the incident highlights both the evolving nature of cybersecurity threats and the importance of robust, responsive defense systems in the digital gaming sector.

Source: cybersecuritynews.com

The post Bragg Confirms Cyber Attack – Hackers Access Internal IT Systems appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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