Early Slot Returns

The first slot machine, the 5-cent Liberty Bell, invented by Charles Fey in 1898, had a payout return of 86%. Fey would not sell his machines; he would only rent them, primarily to saloons in the San Francisco area. He would split the profits from the machines 50-50 with the owners. This gave Fey and the establishment that housed the machine a whooping 14% profit. Today, solely due to competition, casinos will have returns well into the 90% range. (You can see the original Liberty Bell slot machine at the Liberty Belle restaurant on South Virginia street in Reno Nevada.