Slots Cheats

Slots is the game that most people would expect to be safe from cheaters. The games are electronic and can’t be manipulated by math, human error, or betting systems. But the truth is that there are lots of slots cheats out there, and people have been cheating them for decades in casinos all over the world for millions of dollars. Surprisingly $100 million in losses have been documented in the state of Nevada alone. Amazingly it is estimated that over 97% of slot cheats get away with their crimes and go completely undetected.

The person that’s most famous for cheating at slot games is Tommy Glenn Carmichael. He started by using a device referred to as a “top-bottom joint,” which he was eventually caught using and sent to jail. After getting out he went right back to work developing newer machines that could beat the games by tipping the payout switch. He eventually found himself listed in Vegas’ infamous Black Book, where surprisingly 27% of the known cheats are slot game cheats.

Cheating at a slot game is dependant on the makeup of the game. Older machines with a mechanical coin counter can be manipulated with something as simple as a coat hanger. Using a “monkey’s paw” gives the cheater the ability to get over-payments on hits when the device is inserted into the payout chute. Others use shaved or counterfeit coins to acquire credits that can be cashed out later in the session. Even coins on strings have been used in older machines to make the machine think that lots of coins are being deposited.

Today slot games can be cheated with the use of electronics and optical wires that throw the machine off its regular function. The mini-light cheating tool has a battery at one end and a light emitter on the other. If turned on near the machine’s light sensor, the machine becomes blinded and can’t keep track of how many coins it has paid out. Modern machines have safeguards against all of these efforts, but one can be sure that the cheaters are out there developing new ways to beat the new games.