In the middle of the 1970s, after many decades of stagnant slot-machine development, the big slot breakthrough finally occurred - the video slot machine. Casino owners realized they needed to update the old casino favorite and the video slot machine was the answer.

For better or for worse, slot machines were no longer a combination of simple coin insertion and lever pulling that caused the three reels to spin until the money was gone or the jackpot was hit. Instead, video slot machines brought a whole new feel to the game.

In 1975, a slot maker by the name of Walt Fraley invented the "Fortune Coin" video slot machine. Players were not initially smitten with this new-fangled gaming device; they were skeptical about the technology (and the reliability). They were used to mechanical slots and they were not eager to move away from the old stand-by. The following year, IGT bought the "Fortune Coin" technology and proceeded to produce a whole slew of brand-new video slot machines. Slowly but surely, the phenomenon caught on. In 1979, video poker was introduced and it was probably the most important step in the development and dissemination of video slot machines.

One of the pioneering video slots was Reel 'Em In, by WMS Gaming. It started the video slot machine takeover and it promoted the concept of multiple coins per payline. This multi-coin, multi-line slots game offered exciting new features in an effort to create an upgraded playing experience for its users. One of the things that had always kept table gamblers away from traditional slots was the fact that the slot machine lacked interactivity. The slots player simply fed in coins and watched the wheels spin around. Video slots changed all that by creating features that required additional decisions by the slot player. The new video slots had high-resolution screens, and the super graphics and entertaining themes grabbed the players' attention and kept it. Video slots caught on and never let go.

Since 1980 slot machine makers have continually added new and exciting elements to video slots. These have included the linking of jackpots physically across many casinos and virtually across many online gambling sites, creating the biggest progressive jackpots in history. In addition, today you will be hard pressed to find a video slot machine that does not have some sort of bonus feature and some type of multi-function symbol.

From free games to bonus spins to funny and exciting themes, video slots have come a long way from the mechanical slot favored in the mid-20th century. Online casinos have led the way in the development of the video slot machine. Video slots are now the most popular variety of online slots.

Video slots made a super smooth transition to the Internet; the computerized mechanism (the Random Number Generator) made it the perfect game for the new age of online gambling. Online video slots are more graphically beautiful than ever before and slots software companies like Microgaming keep producing new games using the cutting edge of technology. Online video slots have millions of dedicated fans the world over; they are the most popular and the most exciting gambling games on the Internet today.