There was a period of time during which slot machines were prime victims to scam and fraud. One successful measure was to spin a coin with a length of plastic wire. The coin would pass through the sensors of the machine and register with the weight and size the credits earned. The alterations to the coin, however, would cause it to be rejected into the payout chute, not costing the sneaky gambler any actual money to play. Renovations to slot machines now prevent this type of cheat.

Current slot machines are controlled by computer software and, considering the amounts of money played in modern machines, bill acceptors often are preferred over coin acceptors, with few exceptions for posterity. Because of the technology, machines are programmed with anti-cheating devices, and anti-counterfeiting options are built into slots that are difficult to out-maneuver. Earlier versions using computers were fooled by using devices such as the “monkey paw” or the “slider” made famous by Tommy Glenn Carmichael. Although these types no longer work, more recent successes involves the use of advanced technology to mess with the computer inside the slot machine; the software itself is the victim of winning manipulation, rather than the physical machine. Ronald Dale Harris is one sich fraud story in relation to modern machines.

History

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Technology

Payout

Linked Machines

Near-Misses

Fraud

Variations

Misconceptions