111 JACKPOTS

Slots in Other Parts of the World

Since Charles Fey came out with Liberty Bell in 1895, there has been no stopping the slot machine. Today all over the world, it remains to be the top attraction in gambling establishments in all parts of the globe, and the Internet.

Although the United States is commonly believed to house the greatest number of slot machines in the world, that is not the case at all. Commonly referred to as "pokies" or poker machines, the number of slots in Australia numbers over 200,000, said to be more than 20% of all such machines globally.

According to statistics, the collection from Australian slot machines reached more than $290 billion in 2005, more than fifty percent of all gambling revenues in Australia. As in the United States, the laws and regulations concerning "pokies" vary with each state.

In the United Kingdom, slots are referred to as fruit machines, owing to the fact that most use fruit designs. In the UK, these machines can also be found in pubs and are almost always reel slots, typically with six reels for each machine. A unique feature of U.K. fruit machines is that a player is allowed to use a symbol from a previous spin for the next one.

In Japan, slots are called pachisuro, and are frequently seen in arcades. Most of them are reels, and also have several bonus features, more so than a typical slot in the United States.

In the United States, slot machines are also divided into Class II and Class III types. Class II are those machines wherein a player competes against others. Also known as Video Lottery Terminals, their most unique aspect is that because it is the players competing, there will be a guaranteed winner.

The nature of Class II machines is that the games are inter related, and that once a player has gotten a symbol right and taken the prize, that combination is removed and the competitors will compete for the remaining prizes.

The Class III machines constitute the typical slot, wherein it is the player against the machine. Of course (like in roulette), all the spins are independent of one another; and (unlike in bingo) there is no need to have a winner at every session.

The rapid expansion and spread of slot machines in various parts of the world is a testament to their ever increasing popularity. With the advent of the Internet, this rapid growth will only likely increase some more.

So wherever you are in the world, chances are very good that there is a slot machine in your vicinity. So go ahead, get those quarters ad start playing.