Since the creator did not submit a patent application, his design was quickly imitated, and 3-reel slot games started to feature his original icons in their symbols. The Liberty Bell became one of the iconic slot machine symbols and gave the first slot machine its name. In reality, he only left the Liberty Bell, the 3 card suits (diamonds, hearts, and spades), and a horseshoe on the reels.

While doing that, he changed the card symbols and reduced the number of reels to 3. In an effort to make the first traditional slot machine fully automatic, Charles Fey built it in 1895. When you won on the original poker-themed machines, a person had to physically hand you your prize back then, that person was typically the bartender.

One more technological advancement was required for the traditional one-armed bandits: automatic payouts.