As mentioned earlier, the Siam Museum is home to a whole lot of exhibits – close to 150 at the moment and growing every single year! Some of the exhibits are quite old and rare, and a few are literally one of a kind in the US! Yes, not even private collectors in the country have them, the only way you can see them is with us! While we can’t really go into detail about each and every single exhibit we’ve got (you’ll have to visit us and talk to our guide to learn more), we’re more than happy to share with you little snippets about the most prized items we’ve got in our “History of Casino” exhibition!
Bell-Fruit Slot Machine
In the early 20th century, when slot machines were starting to get popular, at first they weren’t advanced enough to disperse any payment themselves – you had to go seek out the machine’s owner and show him the combination that you’ve gotten on the reels in order to collect your payment. And since this technically wasn’t considered “gambling”, it could go past the rather strict anti-gambling laws in the US at the time. But as slot machines became more and more developed, eventually gaining the ability to read the symbols on the slots and disperse payment, developers needed to get a bit more creative. That’s where Bell-Fruit, a company that produced chewing gum, came in, using slot machines as glorified gum dispensers. Basically, if you managed to align 3 fruit symbols, you received a pack of gum with the same flavor as the symbols you got! Those machines became so popular that the fruit symbols became a staple of slot machines in general, being used for years to come even after the gambling laws were lifted in a lot of states. Despite the fact that the Bell-Fruit machines were everywhere in the 20s and 30s, most of them are just under 100 years old, and as such almost none have survived to modern day. At Siam, we’ve got one of them in pristine condition, and while you can’t play it yourself, if you’re lucky your guide might give it a spin so you can see exactly how slots worked when your grandpa was young!
90 Year Old Roulette Table
Roulette is one of the oldest casino games that have been played in their current form, with their origins traced all the way back to the time of the French revolution. That, of course, would make sense – it’s a game that allows you to make your own luck, which explains why it was created in a time when people were finally taking control of their destiny in their own hands. Regardless, roulette quickly spread across Europe and eventually reached the New World, most likely being one of numerous gambling games that sailors played on their ships during the long voyages. When casinos began to rise in popularity in the West in the early 20th century, roulette quickly became one of the first and most famous games to be played there… And we’ve got the exhibit to prove it! This table has been dated as being in play in 1925 thanks to a photograph from that year made in the casino that it was purchased from, so it’s at least 90 years old (though was most likely manufactured at least a few years prior). The entire table, including the roulette itself, is entirely hand-made out of wood, with the roulette being hand-painted. It’s truly a masterpiece of the highest caliber, and it looks beautiful even today, almost a century after it was last played. The table is positively huge, being almost one and a half times as big as casino tables today. While the roulette is still in near-pristine condition, with only a few scratches and spots to reveal its true age, the roulette has a defect which causes its exterior to get scratched when it’s being spun, which is why this is one exhibit you’ll just have to look at, but not touch.
Various Croupier Outfits
Dealers, also known as croupiers, always had to be the most well-dressed people in an establishment that often required formal attire. As such, their outfits needed to be impeccable – stylish, beautiful, commanding presence. They wore clothes that even James Bond would be jealous of! While it’s unknown exactly when the practice of dealers wearing formal attire started, but it was definitely in casino’s infancy, as by the time the 30s and 40s rolled around the practice was commonplace. While most outfits worn by dealers haven’t survived to this day (as they were mostly personal items owned by the croupiers rather than provided by the casino), but a few have, and we’ve got them right here, on mannequins! There are three outfits we’ve got – from the 40s, 50s and 60s. While we can’t really determine exactly from what year these particular outfits come from, we have used photographs (some of which are displayed right next to the costumes, while others are in the “Time Machine” room of the museum) to verify the eras each of the costumes comes from. Keep in mind that they’re not reproductions – the costumes on display are genuine and have really been used by croupiers in their respective time periods. As such, there is no touching allowed. We know that most people would have no reason to touch anyway, but since there have been instances of guests attempting it, we’d humbly like to ask that you refrain from it. Thank you!