In the UK, slot machines were more commonly called fruit machines, after the different types of fruit on display on a spinning reel; a winning line was often identified by a row of cherries.
Fruit machines were usually to be found in pubs or amusement arcades and were steel machines with glass fronts that were occupied by either five or three wheels. Money was inserted at the top of the machine in order to play the game. A handle on the side of the machine operated these reels and when the handle was pulled, the reels would turn. If someone were lucky enough to get a row of identical fruit symbols, he would win some money and coins would tumble into the pay drawer.
Since 1984, the development of microprocessors has revolutionised these humble machines and superb graphics have come to dominate this industry. Vegas casinos soon introduced slot machines and the winnings can be substantial.
The introduction of online gaming has led to the development of video slot machines or virtual machines, where players can log on to a huge variety of websites and try their luck.