There are millions of slot machines around the world, and while many of them may be popular, few of them can claim to be the biggest slot machine, at least in regards to actual size. Of course, this is not an issue when you play online slots in the UK with The Phone Casino. In this blog, we share a brief history of slots, look at some of the biggest prizes ever won by people who play slots, and end off with some of the most physically imposing slot machines that you can find around the world. 

A brief history of slots

Slot machines have been around for more than a century, originally in the form of what was known as the poker machine in around 1890. This machine was developed by Sittman and Pitt and had five reels with 50 playing cards. Players would pay, pull a lever and win a prize if they managed to get specific poker hands. As hard as it may be to get a strong hand in a game of poker, it was even harder in this game because the 10 of spades and jack of hearts were removed. Also, prizes weren’t automatically awarded but were given out at the bar. 

At around the same time, Charles Fey was working on a machine that he would call the Liberty Bell. His focus was on creating a machine that would automatically hand out prizes. To achieve his goal, he had to reduce the number of reels from five to three. Due to the reduction in reels, he replaced the playing cards with playing card suits (clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades) and the iconic symbol after which his machine was named, namely the Liberty Bell.

Unfortunately for the developers of these incredibly popular machines, a ban in the early 20th century would put a damper on their sales. Not to let a few pesky laws hold them back, developers adapted, awarding fruit-flavoured gum as a prize. These machines were also changed to have fruit symbols to match the prizes they gave out, including lemons, cherries, oranges and plums. 

Over time, laws would be eased back while technology would move forward. This eventually led to the first electromechanical slot machine from Bally called Money Honey. The switch to an electronic system meant that the lever was no longer necessary and would eventually get completely phased out in favour of a simple button. The electronic era also resulted in the first-ever video slot. It was developed by Fortune Coin Co and released in 1976. 

Moving ahead a few more decades, eventually, slots would leave the physical world altogether and enter cyberspace. The switch to digital technology and the introduction of the internet made online gambling, including online slots, accessible to a whole new world of gamblers. The first online casinos popped up, and it took some time for governments to catch up, meaning that players had access to digital casinos and their games from anywhere in the world as long as they had a reasonable internet connection.

Digital technologies also opened the door for certain slots to share prize pools, resulting in some incredible jackpot rewards. It’s also made slot machines for beginners easily accessible. 

Some of the biggest prizes from slots

Before we get into our list of the biggest slots, let’s take a quick look at some of the big prizes that slot players have taken home.

• • $39.7 Million: An anonymous player wagered $100 (£81) on the Megabucks slot and ended up walking away with an almost $40 million (£32.5 million) jackpot.
  • $34.9 Million: Cynthia Jay-Brennan was another beneficiary of a Megabucks slot when she won $35 million (£28.5 million.) Unfortunately, her fortune took a turn for the worse when she and her sister were involved in a car accident involving a drunk driver that cost her sister her life and put Cynthia in a wheelchair.
  • €11.7 Million: An online casino player walked away with €11.7 million (£10 million) after playing Mega Fortune™.
  • $22.6 Million: Johanna Heundl, a 74-year-old retiree, decided to try a few spins on the Megabucks slot jackpot before breakfast. She spent $170 (£138) and, on her last spin, won the $22.6 million (£18.3 million) jackpot.
  • $21.3 Million: Before the millennium, a $10 (£8) wager landed one lucky slot fan $21.3 million (£17.3 million) from a Megabucks slot. When factoring inflation into account, that same jackpot that was won in 1999 would be worth approximately $38 million (£30.8 million) today.

The biggest slot machines from around the globe

With a better understanding of the history of slots and the big wins people have taken home, let’s take a look at the largest (in regard to size) slot machines in the world.

Big Bertha

The original Big Bertha is a 4×2 slot machine that can be found in Bally’s Casino in Las Vegas. It was originally developed as an attraction or novelty item, but you can spend $100 (£81) per spin to try your luck and see if you land any wins.

Super Big Bertha

The follow-up to the original Big Bertha bears the name Super Big Bertha. This huge slot machine is also found at Bally’s Casino in Las Vegas, and yes, it is a completely functional slot machine. Despite the odds for this particular machine being lower than many other slot machines, in 2001, someone actually did walk away with the $1 million (£8 million) jackpot.

The Queen’s Machine

This is a slot machine that’s rumoured to be so physically imposing that people have been injured trying to pull the lever. Whether that’s worth the $50,000 (£40,666) jackpot is debatable. The Queen’s Machine can be found at the Four Queens casino in Las Vegas. 

Microspin

It may not be the biggest slot machine overall on this list, but it’s definitely one of the tallest overall. Coming in at over nine feet high, this slot machine can be found in Wynn Casino in Las Vegas. Again, this is a fully functional slot, but it doesn’t pay out often and its prizes aren’t much to write home about, either. 

Enjoy some of the most exciting slot machines in the world

While we may not be able to visit any of these places to hand over the title of “biggest slot machine in the world” (maybe the Guinness World Records should follow up on that,) these machines are still undoubtedly impressive. 

And while we may not have the largest slots (maybe they would count if you played them on the world’s largest screen,) The Phone Casino has some of the most exciting virtual slot machines around. From adventures into the jungles of South America to the tombs of Egyptian emperors, you can find a wide range of thrilling slots at our mobile casino. Register with us to join in all the fun and excitement that these slot machine games have to offer!