Slot Symbols

Slot symbols are an integral part of every slot game, and each of them has a different function, such as creating winning combinations that help provide the users with fun and rewards such as free spins.

The symbols can be divided into different categories, which include regular symbols and special symbols that trigger bonuses.

New symbols are constantly being created. However, the most common ones in modern slot machines are wild symbols, scatter symbols and multiplier symbols.

Fruit

Fruit symbols were among the first slot machine symbols to be used in the early 1900s, after a ban was placed on slot machines.

The Bell-Fruit Gum Company then created a slot machine with reels featuring fruit symbols the paid out winnings with gum.

These symbols are still used in modern slot machines, with the most popular ones being cherries, lemons, oranges, plums, melons, pears, grapes and strawberries.

Modern Icons

Later, more modern symbols not based on fruit or playing cards appeared in classic slot machines, and many of them are still in use today.

These include bells, horseshoes, four-leaf clovers, bars, lucky sevens, diamonds, stars and dollar signs.

Alternative Icons

Modern video slots rarely use classic symbols because they want to match the characters into the theme of the game.

Modern winning symbols are divided into categories according to their function. These categories include wild symbols, scatter symbols, multiplier symbols, bonus symbols, stacked symbols, and sticky symbols.

The first symbols on classic slot machines were bells, horseshoes, spades, hearts, and diamonds. They were included in the oldest slot, invented in 1895 by Charles Fey. Playing card values were also some of the first slot machine symbols used.

The symbols 10, J, Q, K, and A are still prevalent in modern slots and often mixed in with the specific theme of each machine in which they’re used. In addition, the classic bar slot machine symbols are also used.

Lucky 7

In all electronic casino games, lucky sevens are among the most popular symbols. The number 7 is known all over the world as a sign of luck and prosperity. The player who lands three sevens on the reels of a slot machine takes home the biggest jackpot. It is considered the luckiest of all symbols.

Bar and bell

The classic bar and bell symbols are still one of the most popular symbols in slot machines. Inspired by the gum sold by the Bell-Fruit Company, they were used in the first slot games that offered gum as a prize. The symbol typically appears as a classic bell on a black background. The bell symbol was sometimes used in slot machines to indicate that a player had won since the machines weren’t automated.

Horseshoe

The horseshoe was the first symbol to be considered lucky in classic slot machines. Today, however, it is rarely seen in modern slot machines.

Standard symbols

Standard symbols are usually the most common low-paying symbols in all types of video slots. These symbols are sometimes represented by the numbers 9 and 10 and high-ranking face cards. Card suits like hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades are also commonly used by developers.

Wild symbols

These symbols are more commonly used in modern video slots and can appear on the reels as ‘W’ or ‘Wild’ symbols, depending on the theme of the slot. If they appear more than once, they can usually multiply the  player’s rewards. There are different variations of this symbol, such as the walking and multiplier wild symbol.

Bonus symbols

These symbols were rarely used in classic slots, but in modern slots they are one of the symbols that can pay big jackpots. Sometimes they are presented as interactive symbols where players can participate in mini-games to multiply their winnings.

Fruit symbols were first used when Industry Novelty started producing Bell Fruit Gum slots after the ban on gambling machines and other casino games as a way of avoiding prosecution. The reels featured orange, apple, cherry and bar symbols and paid in fruit-flavored gum instead of cash, which was illegal at the time. These fruits were considered to represent flavor. The use of funny and harmless-looking fruit was widely accepted and used as a compromise between the two sides of the issue.

Since the slot machine technology was never patented, a new wave of inventions led to machines developing fast with more significant payouts. The classic slot machine fruit symbols, however, remained the most popular.