Charles Fey invented the first slot machine in 1891, named the Liberty Bell. He created a machine that would allow automatic payouts. The machine featured three reels and five symbols; hearts, diamonds, spades, horseshoes and a Liberty Bell. The highest payout was awarded for three bell symbols, which is why the machine was named the Liberty Bell. It gained huge popularity, and without a patent, pg it wasn’t long before others copied Fey’s design. The demand for Liberty Bell slot machines was huge, and Fey could not build them fast enough in his small shop. Gambling supply manufacturers tried to buy the manufacturing and distribution rights to the Liberty Bell, however, Charles Fey refused to sell. As a result of this, in 1907, Herbert Mills, a manufacturer of arcade machines, began production of a slot machine, a knock-off of Fey’s Liberty Bell, called the Operator Bell. Mills was the first person to place fruit symbols: i.e. lemons, plums, and cherries on machines. The machines at this time were made from cast iron and there were three metal hoops – the reels. Each reel had ten symbols painted on them and they were spun by the user pulling on a metal lever at the side of the machine.