Your Guide to Slot Machine Symbols

By Jane Shaw Senior Editor Updated: 10/18/2023

Jane Shaw Senior Editor See Full Bio

We count on Jane to inform our readers about the latest slot games in the US market. With her passion for video games and a degree in engineering, she’s our gambling tech expert. Jane’s also active in our blog section, where she tackles the curiosities and changes in the industry.

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Slot Machine Symbols

• Slot Machine Symbols Meaning
• Classic Slot Machine Symbols: Where it All Started
• The Story Behind Cherries
• The Mystery of BARs
• The Lucky Number 7s
• A Brief History of Slot Machines
• How Online Video Slots Changed Things
• Frequently Asked Questions

Today, traditional slot machine symbols are just an everyday part of gambling online; you probably don’t even think about the symbols! However, you may be surprised that some of the most common slot machine symbols actually have a pretty interesting history – and today, we’re going to show you where some of the world’s most popular slot machine symbols came from and how they evolved over time.

Slot Machine Symbols Meaning

The spinning reels and flashing symbols of slot machines are instantly recognizable in most countries around the world – but have you ever wondered where common slot machine symbols like the cherry, BAR, and lucky number 7 come from? These icons have their roots in the early days of mechanical gambling machines in the late 19th century – and we’ll show you more about these three iconic symbols later in this blog!

We’re going to show you these slot machine symbols meaning and how they evolved – all the way from the classic lever-operated slots to the modern video slots you play today. Let’s get started!

Classic Slot Machine Symbols: Where It All Started

Slot machines have come a long way since the Liberty Bell, the first true slot created by Charles Fey in 1899. However, you may be surprised to learn that a few of the slot machine symbols you see today actually date back to this device.

The classic slot machine reel was originally built by hand, and included ten symbols: horseshoes, diamonds, spades, hearts, bells, stars, the Liberty Bell, a cherry, a BAR, and the number 7. These symbols were inspired by the card suits and bells used in other popular gambling games at the time like poker and keno – although a few have slightly deeper meanings which we’ll look at shortly.

The primary reason these symbols were chosen, however, was because Fey wanted images that could easily be identified by players as the reels spun. The rich red color of the cherry, for example, was easy to distinguish from the black and white of the BAR.

While slot machine technology – and symbols – have evolved dramatically since the early days, classic slot machine symbols are still featured on both mechanical and video slots today. Play slots at any of our recommended high RTP casino sites and there’s a good chance one of the first games you see will use all these symbols – that’s how historic and important they are!

The Story Behind Cherries

Of all the classic slot symbols, none is more iconic than the cherry. Its origins can be traced back to the first Liberty Bell machine we just talked about – and, interestingly, this machine actually paid out prizes of gum and candy. Of course, one of these candies was cherry flavored – and the juicy, red fruit soon became a crowd favorite, making its way into slot machines up and down the country.

Aside from these historic roots, however, cherries have also long been associated with luck and prosperity. In ancient Egypt and Rome, cherries were seen as indications of good fortune – and later, in Europe, cherry branches were used to symbolize success in cards, dice games, and gambling.

Slot machine manufacturers quickly latched onto the cherry’s symbolic properties – and aside from the psychological reasoning, it also made practical sense as its high visibility compared to other symbols made it an ideal symbol to act as a “wild” or “scatter.”

The Mystery of BARs

Of all the old slot machine symbols, the BAR is arguably the most mysterious. Its name comes from the Bell-Fruit Gum Company, which first introduced the BAR in 1963 to get around laws prohibiting slots from depicting fruits. The blocky, stylized logo became an instant hit, and, like the cherry, it’s remained a popular choice with slot machine developers to this day!

The BAR’s ambiguous design also allowed it to stand in for more frowned-upon symbols at the time, like beer mugs and cigars. Don’t forget, gambling laws in the early 20th century banned the use of symbols that promoted anything like drinking or smoking – and savvy manufacturers started to simply get around this by substituting generic BARs in their place.

While its origin is clear, the actual meaning of the BAR symbol is still debated. Some experts believe it represents ingots of gold or cash prizes, while others argue it could be slang – or shorthand – for the words ‘jackpot’ or ‘win’. Some people even say it resembles the tackle used in logging and mining camps, leading them to claim it symbolizes hard work!

Whatever the true meaning, the BAR’s popularity is clear – and for more than 50 years it’s been a staple in slot machines around the world. It remains one of the most common slot machine symbols today, even online – proving beyond doubt it’s a hit with players!

The Lucky Number 7s

The number seven has held importance through pretty much all human history. The number 7 has long been associated with fortune, divinity, and success in many cultures. There are 7 days in a week, 7 colors in a rainbow, and 7 notes on a musical scale. Religions like Judaism and Christianity consider 7 a sacred number – and the number’s importance isn’t restricted to religion or dates!

Slot machine developers wasted no time incorporating 7s into their games – and, most of the time, when a slot machine uses 7 symbols, they’re the top-paying symbol. Back in the day, for example, lining up a three-of-a-kind 7s combo awarded huge wins – jackpots, even – promising payouts far greater than cherries or BARs.

Like cherries and BARs, sevens have remained highly popular in slot machine design – and today, they’re still widely used as the top-paying symbol in a game. Their charm may seem irrational to many, but there’s no denying this magic number’s special hold over slots lovers worldwide. You can explore various entertaining slots and test your luck with real money casino apps.

A Brief History of Slot Machines

Looking at slot machine symbols’ meaning and background is interesting – but to get a more comprehensive picture we have to go back to the very beginning. You see, naturally, the slot machine has evolved quite a bit from its humble beginnings in the late 19th century. Most historians agree that the first “slot”, so to speak, was actually developed in Brooklyn in 1891 by a company called Sittman and Pitt. Based on poker, it had 50 card faces and used actual playing cards – so it would have looked a world away from what we’re used to playing today!

The first true slot with symbols on reels was the Liberty Bell machine created in 1899 by Charles Fey – and, as we saw earlier, he’s responsible for many of the slot symbols that are still in use today!

Slots became immensely popular throughout the early 20th century. Mechanical and electromechanical slots were the most common type of slot until the 1960s brought the first fully electric slots. In 1963, Money Honey by Bally made headlines thanks to its bottomless hopper that was capable of paying hundreds of coins without an attendant.

The next major innovation came in the mid-1970s with the advent of the video slot. Fortune Coin by Walt Fraley introduced a 19-inch Sony TV screen with symbols displayed by circuit boards, and this (at the time) state-of-the-art technology would even pave the way for online video slots decades later.

Through the 1980s and 90s, slots continued adding electronic features like buttons, tickets, and computerized random number generators, but it was the creation of online video slots that took the industry to where it is today. The first online slots were launched in 1996 by Microgaming, and NetEnt came along soon after in the early 2000s.

Today, it doesn’t matter which one of the most popular online slot types you’re playing. You never have to look far to find old-school classic symbols like the cherries, BARs, and 7s. There’s also a range of other options, each coming with their own special perks and features.

How Online Video Slots Changed Things

The transition from mechanical to online slots radically expanded the possibilities for slot symbols. No longer confined to simple shapes that could be physically printed on reels, game developers could now utilize digital animations and graphics – and as technology improved, we started to see more elaborate and immersive symbols like movie characters, celebrities, animals, and even interactive ones!

Video slots pushed themes and narratives in fresh directions. Symbols could help with a slot’s storyline, automatically trigger different bonuses and features depending on their number or position on the reels, and in-game mechanics like cascading reels and tumble multipliers saw even more game advancements!

However, despite all the state-of-the-art technological developments, classic symbols are still widely used. Digitized BARs, 7s, and cherries continue to be used in new slots – and they’ve now become synonymous with gambling and slot machines for many!

If you play real money online casino games, there’s a very good chance you’ll see these symbols used; even if they’re not, you’ll often see references to them, or see other fruits in use! Below, you can take a look at some of the most popular and well-known video slots, including early classics to modern-day marvels.