Slot Machines: A Pictorial History of the First 100 Years of the World's Most Popular Coin-Operated Gaming Device

It is all here! The complete and colorful story of coin-operated chance machines from the time they first became prevalent in the early 1890's up to the coin gaming found in today's casinos. Included in the exciting history of this major industry are the pioneers, inventors, manufacturers, and operators, There is also over 400 photographs, mostly in full color of slot machines of every imaginable genre. The slot's destiny rose and fell with the changing moods of the nation. The Roaring Twenties brought the notorious speakeasys, a logical home for the ubiquitous slots, while the Depression years of the 1930s saw record productions and the most beautiful and brilliant machines ever designed, now highly collectable. The Golden Age of slots ended in 1950 with the passing of far-reaching federal legislation confining their use. But the growth of casinos in Nevada and Atlantic City, plus recent legalization in more states, has resulted in a resurgence of the slot machine. Slots, highly regarded collectables, are not only a good invest, but are fun to play. Every important slot manufactured during the first 100 years is carefully represented both in text and by more than 600 photographs and newspaper articles, all serving to chronicle this colorful segment of Americana.