Slot Machine Cheats
Slot machine cheats, while interesting to read about, are a disaster waiting to happen when put into practice. Sure, slot machine cheaters have been able to walk away with over $100 million from the Nevada gaming industry over the years, but getting caught can result in jail time or inclusion in the dreaded Black Book (reserved for cheaters who are banned from all Las Vegas casinos). It’s not worth it, even if the statistics show that just over 97% of slot machine cheats manage to get away with their crimes.
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This isn’t a guide on how to cheat at slots. Rather, it’s a brief look at some of the various--and admittedly ingenious--means employed over the years to get something for nothing. With large casinos often containing more than 5,000 slot machines and throngs of customers with dollar signs in their eyes, it’s amazing that the losses from slot machine theft aren’t greater.
Infamous Ways of Cheating at Slot Machines
The following is a list of some of the more infamous and successful slot machine cheats. Some can be made at home for under $25, while others can be purchased online for as much as $25,000. But no matter what the cost, you’re asking for trouble when you try to cheat the slots.
Coat Hanger - On older model slot machines, a coat hanger could be snaked inside to interfere with the mechanical coin counter. This kept the device from accurately keeping up with the payout, and a successful thief could walk away with their pockets lined with coins. Legend has it that one such individual made over $200,000 before finally getting nabbed. This slot machine cheat is ineffective against modern machines.
The Monkey Paw - Invented by famous slot cheat Tommy Glenn
Carmichael, the Monkey Paw (also known as a “slider”) is a foot-long
piece of flexible metal that’s bent at the end like a claw. Once
inserted into the payout chute, the cheater would snake it through the
machine until it reached the coin counter. This would interfere with the
slot machine’s ability to measure the appropriate payout, and it would
deliver far more coins that it should on a winning combination. When the
Monkey Paw was employed, the cheat would often rely on help from one or
more assistants (known as “shades”) to keep an eye out for security and
block the view of cameras.
Out and Out Lying
- Instead of messing with rods of metal or
other materials, some slot cheats have resorted to the fine art of
lying. If someone wins at a slot and promptly departs with their coins,
the cheat will take their spot and claim that the machine didn’t pay
out. The slot will show that it has already paid, but the cheat is
hoping that he can create a scene and take advantage of a gullible
casino employee. Modern technology makes this hard to pull off, as a
person’s progress through the casino can usually be tracked with
surveillance cameras.
Drilling - According to a few Hollywood films, it’s possible to drill a hole in the side of a slot machine and attach a device that will allow you to alter a machine’s payout. This tactic is only useful in the movies, however, as anyone trying to drill into a real-life slot machine is going to find themselves in jail.
Handle Mechanics - Another method of cheating slots that was effective on older models was performed by men known as “handle mechanics.” They would prepare the machine by pulling down on the handle with great force and then playing normally. When winning symbols appeared on the first reel or two, the mechanic would then pull down on the handle. Just before the reels started to spin, the handle was quickly pushed down, resulting in one or more reels not spinning. A good handle mechanic was said to be able to keep two reels from spinning, while pros could hold all three reels in place.
Shaved Coins, Coins on Strings, and Counterfeit Tokens - Another popular method of cheating on slot machines over the years has involved using fake coins made to simulate the real thing. These are known as “slugs,” and those who use them are referred to as “sluggers.” If successful, a cheater can play a machine for free. The same goes for dropping a coin into the machine with a string attached, then pulling it back out to use again. Modern slots are much more advanced, and these tactics no longer work.
Sabotage - If you’re an industry insider, you can attempt to introduce a flaw into the game before it even arrives at the casino. An example is the case of Ronald Dale Harris, a computer programmer who once worked for the Nevada Gaming Board finding errors in the computer software running slot machines. Harris managed to illegally modify a number of slots, allowing him to win by pressing buttons in a particular sequence or putting in a specific number of coins. He was eventually caught and sentenced to seven years in prison after trying to cheat at a Las Vegas keno game.
Light Wand - Developed by Tommy Glenn Carmichael, the man
behind the Monkey Paw, the Light Wand was nothing more than a small
battery, light bulb, and wire. It was inserted into the coin hopper and
used to blind a slot’s optical reader. This confused the slot as to the
correct payout of coins, leading it to overpay by a large amount (often
emptying its contents). One slot cheat claimed to make $10,000 per day
using this device.
Slot Machine Keys - Slot machines have a lock to keep people out, but anyone who manages to pick it will have access to the coin hopper. In some cases, duplicate keys have been made, allowing a thief to clean out entire rows of slot machines (at an average rate of seven seconds per slot). In other cases, greedy casino employees have become slot machine cheats by using their keys to gain access and line their pockets with coins.
