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Why Slot Machines say BAR on their Reels: The Origins of the BAR symbol

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If you are familiar with slots, you would have noticed that slot machines have a “BAR” symbol as one of the many symbols on their reels. To know why this came to be, I would have to take you on a historical ride to let you know why you will find slot machines saying BAR on their reels. But first, what are these BAR symbols?

The “BAR” Symbol – What is it?

The symbols on a slot reel are often traditional. These symbols include stars, numbers, fruits, and of course, the bar symbol.

You will usually find the BAR symbol on fruit slots’ reels as a common payout symbol. This BAR symbol, most of the time, looks like a small box with the letters B-A-R inside it. In other slot games, you might find the BAR symbol as two BAR words stacked onto each other into one symbol. In fact, some other slots have three BAR words as a single symbol.

There are different fruit slots with varying values for their respective BAR symbol. In most games, the BAR symbol is the second-highest or mid-range payout symbol between the 7 and fruit symbols. For slot titles that have multiple BAR symbols, the double and triple-layered ones usually have higher payouts than the single BAR symbols. Now that we know what the BAR symbol is, let’s now have some history class.

History of the BAR Symbol

To go straight to the point, the BAR symbol on slot reels has to do with gums. The symbol represents a pack of gums that you could have easily gotten from the grocery store if you were around in the early 1900s.

There are quite a number of theories that suggest how the BAR symbol came to be. According to one of the most accepted theories, the BAR symbol came to be as a result of the strict gambling restrictions in the US during the early 1900s. Slot machines in those days were referred to as one-armed bandits, and they were banned in the United States. However, establishments still found a way for their customers to keep spinning the reels by offering chewing gum as a payout. This is why fruit slots usually have cherry and lemon symbols since they are gum flavors. These slots were usually found in bars and speakeasies.

The first establishment to create mechanical fruit slots was the Industry Novelty Company in the year 1909. Shortly after, a Chicago-based enterprise, Mills Novelty Company, made their slots with just one difference – a BAR symbol on its reels. The BAR symbol as we know it today was originally represented as a photograph of a chewing gum pack.

Another popular historical theory suggests that the BAR symbol was the logo of a chewing gum company called Bell-Fruit Gum Company which looks like an elongated version of the well-known BAR symbol. Anyone who matched winning symbols on the lines got chewing gums from that company as payout from slot machines of that era.

Top Online Slots with the BAR Symbol

Let’s go through some of the most popular online BAR slot titles that you can check out right away. I tried a number of them and came up with three titles based on the features they have. In no particular order, here they are:

  • Retro Reels: Diamond Glitz (Microgaming): This is one BAR slot game by Microgaming that speaks riches and luxury. The BAR symbols come in single, double, and triple-stacked types with an accompanying diamond symbol. Matching three BAR symbols give you a payout of 5 coins, four symbols earn you 20 coins, and five symbols land you 75 coins as a payout.
  • Progressive Diamond Jackpot (Betsoft): With Betsoft’s Progressive Diamond Jackpot, you get to experience the Las Vegas single pay line slots of the 70s. BAR symbols are available in one, two, and three stacked types. The triple-stacked version pays the most while the single stacked version pays the least. If you match any three BAR symbols, you win four coins.
  • Twin Spin (NetEnt): The defining feature of NetEnt’s Twin Spin is the “Twin Reel”. When triggered, the Twin Reel feature makes two to five random reels to have matching symbols appear on them. When you successfully match 3 BAR symbols, you win 15 coins. Matching four BAR symbols give you 100 coins, while five matched symbols deliver 400 coins to you.

Conclusion

I am glad we have been able to go on a ride down memory lane to discover the origins of the BAR symbol we find on slot machine games. Now that you know the history of the BAR symbol, you see on many reels you spin, I see you playing slots (both physical and online ones) with fresh eyes.