However, because Character Manufacturing Co. The showcasing of Reno Joe resulted in numerous calls from Silver State casinos to the manufacturer for large orders of the Bandit. The Mapes’ version garnered the name “Reno Joe.” In some models, they shouted “jackpot” when the bars aligned horizontally. They were one-armed bandits, or life-sized outlaws whose torso was a slot machine and whose arm and gun-toting hand constituted the lever.ĭonning a white plastic cowboy hat, a red bandanna over their lower face, jeans and boots, the men’s eyes lit up in red when a player got a payout.
It debuted in the lobby of Reno’s Mapes hotel-casino in the fall and “got a big play from visiting Shriners,” reported the Nevada State Journal (Nov. A novel, animated gambling device began to appear in Nevada casinos in 1950.
