Card numbers and suit reel symbols were replaced with fruit images such as cherries, plums, oranges, lemons, and watermelons. turned the devices into dispensers of Bell Fruit Gum’s chewing gum. To circumvent the laws, manufacturer Industry Novelty Co. Nevada also instituted a prohibition in 1909. San Francisco banned all 3,300 slot machines within the city in 1909.
It was a natural to dub the machine the “Liberty Bell.” Other manufacturers happily followed into this lucrative market.īy the early 1900s, lawmakers cracked down on cash-paying slots and public gambling. The device featured three spinning reels, using five symbols: hearts, diamonds, spades, horseshoes, and the famous Liberty Bell. In 1887, San Franciscan Charles Fey - remember that name - designed the first mechanical slot machine. The answer is buried in slot history and ultimately is connected to a long-popular restaurant in Reno, the Liberty Belle.
Fruits, bars, and the Liberty Belle, oh my!ĭid you ever wonder why slot machines, the quintessential symbol of Nevada, feature fruits and bars? If you, like me, write about local food history, this question is inevitable.
