The name one-armed bandit comes from the fact that in the older Slot machines, a lever arm had to be operated after the coin was inserted. This looked very similar to a human arm. The machine was given the name bandit because it was said that the money was taken out of the player's pocket after the lever was operated.
The first one-armed bandit was built in 1889 by the Caille brothers in the United States. It bore the name "Black Cat." Whoever pulled down the lever of the Slot machine set the reels with the winning symbols in motion. After the reels begin to rotate independently and stop again, if necessary, the win is paid.
At that time, the principle of taking one's Luck into one's own hands was still valid in the United States. The distinctive lever on the gambling machines was very well suited for this purpose, as it embodied this very motto in its own way.
Nowadays, there are no real one-armed bandits either in the stationary gambling halls and casinos or in the online casinos. Partially, however, especially in the online area, old games are "recreated" to create a retro look. Meanwhile, however, the game rounds are started either with a mouse click or by pressing the touch screen more conveniently than back then. In gambling metropolises like Las Vegas, however, there are actually still many modern slot machines with the nostalgic lever arm. However, the majority of these are relics without function.