It is hard to cheat a modern slot machine, as they only exist on a virtual platform. However, in their physical form they are far more vulnerable and some cunning individuals have tried to cheat their way to big wins. Some have succeeded and some have been jailed or blacklisted from casinos for the rest of their lives – play Gonzo slot. Here are 7 of the most notorious cheats or cheating methods that have plagued casinos through time.
1. Con Artist
A con artist is always thinking of dishonest ways of making a living. If human victims are too risky a bet then a machine should prove a much easier target. Con artist Louis Colavecchio cheated casinos for years by playing slots with fake coins. In fact, this expert counterfeited was nicknamed ‘The Coin’. A police investigation led to a search that uncovered sophisticated counterfeiting equipment. He was arrested in 1998 and jailed. On his release he could not shake his cheating habit and was again arrested for cheating casinos out of cash.
2. Inside Job
With the sophisticated nature of today’s slots, only an insider with vast knowledge of computer programing and the inner workings of slots can even attempt to cheat these digital machines. Ronald Dale Harris was an employee of the Nevada Gaming Commission and was entrusted with the running of slots at certain casinos. Temptation got the better of him and he put his expertise to bad use. Harris used his knowledge of the codes used to generate spins to his favour. A $100,000 win in 1998 finally drew too much attention on him and the game was eventually up.
3. Strings Attached
Old slot machines were incredibly vulnerable to cheaters and all you would have to do is place a foreign object into the slot and you could confuse the machine. Many punters tried the art of attaching string to a coin and then pulling it out of the machine once the game started. This ensured free game play and winnings on the house.
4. A Close Shave
With the introduction of light sensors in slots to register payments came new ways to cheat slots. Some were hardly hi-tech and involved shaving down coins to fool the optic and light sensors into giving punters free slots play.
5. Tommy Glen Carmichael
Carmichael is on of the most infamous casino cheats of all time. His techniques used to confuse the sensors in slot machines were actually given names and became legendary. His big wins were mostly generated by his invention called the Light Wand. This would blind the sensors on slots and they would no longer be able to register the original stake and wins were greatly exaggerated.
6. Piano Wire Trick
Not the easiest scam to get away with but punters did actually insert 20-inch piano wire into slots to jam the clock that measured wheel rotations and this could lead to spins being manipulated.
7. Magnetism
Finally, The oldest trick in the book worked best with old slots. Powerful magnets were used to manipulate the results of slot spins.
