How to ‘cheat’ at slots: Part 2

6. Magnet tampering
It sounds almost unbelievable – using a magnet to cheat at slots. But while this method is completely obsolete today given how new slots technology works, back in the earlier days of slots play it was absolutely possible to cheat the system with nothing more than a simple magnet.

How? Well, given that older slot machines were made of metal, using a magnet could help to manipulate the reels into producing a winning combination. Con artists would spin the reels, then use a magnet to keep them spinning until they could match enough symbols on a payline for the machine to pay out. Simple! It might not have been as complex as reprogamming computer chips, but it was hugely effective, and used to great advantage in the 1960s.

Today you won’t accomplish much by bringing a magnet to a casino – although you might attract the attention of a server long enough to order a drink. As for your slots jackpots, those you’ll have to earn on your own!

7. Software glitches
Forget about glitches in the Matrix – some cheats have been trying to use glitches in slots software to their advantage for years. Simply by playing various patterns in an attempt to confuse the slot machine, players could force a software glitch and manipulate the machine into paying out.

While many scam artists were able to use this scheme successfully, today software glitches are taken far more seriously, and are even used as a reason to deny legitimate jackpot wins, if they came about as the result of a glitch. Don’t try to fool the software, and don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

8. Light wands
It might sound like something out of Star Wars (although that’s more a light sabre) but light wands have been used to great effect in cheating at slots. And the master of the light wands? One Tommy Glenn Carmichael, also known as the ‘Godfather of Slot Machine Cheats’.

Rather than wielding a magic wand to make his jackpot wishes come true, Carmichael used a light wand instead – a device that blinded the optical sensors on slot machines, causing them to become confused as to the number of coins deposited, and subsequently not knowing when, or how much to pay out. With his light wand in hand, Carmichael would blind the slot machines and manipulate them into paying out huge sums for just a small investment.

Using his ingenious device, Carmichael set to work at the casinos, blinding them into paying out more than $10,000 a day – until he was eventually caught in 1996, and then again in 1998. Despite Carmichael having left Vegas to start anew in Atlantic City, casino officials there were already wise to his tricks, separating him from his illegal jackpot winnings and sentencing him to prison and probation.

Again, with the advancements in slots technology, light wands are no longer any use when it comes to successfully cheating slots – although we hope Carmichael eventually saw the light, and played it safe.

9. Monkey paws
We’re not done with Tommy Glenn Carmichael yet – as this wily slots scammer was responsible not just for coming up with the idea for light wands, but for devising a ruse known as the ‘money paw’ as well. Say what you want about him, the man was innovative!

No intricate light wands needed here – instead the monkey paw was beautifully simplistic in concept. Consisting of a guitar string attached to a metal rod, the monkey paw would then be inserted into the slot machine’s air vent, and moved around until it made contact with the machine’s trigger switch. Click that, and coin jackpots would come rolling out.

Of course today, monkey paws are obsolete, but it’s bananas how simple and effective they could be – and just how much of a mastermind Carmichael was at hacking the system!

10. Bill validators
While many of these slots scams were proven to be effective, some of them may not have been the most discreet. It’s not that easy to hide a guitar string and a metal rod if you’re trying to go about manipulating a jackpot on the QT. That’s why other simpler, subtler methods were used as well – such as bill validating devices.

No monkey business here – instead, a small device was wrapped around a dollar bill to confuse the slot machine, and make it think a $100 bill had been inserted rather than simply a $1. If the machine accepted it, you’d be able to place $100 worth of wagers for a minimal investment, giving you a huge number of free spins, and hopefully winning opportunities too!

While we’ve taken you through a number of well-worn slots scams (and even left plenty out as well), it’s important to note that today’s slots technology has evolved far beyond all these cons, no matter how simplistic or sophisticated some of them might be. This is especially true for online slots, where, thanks to the RNG algorithm in play, hacking or cheating slots is all but impossible. What that means for you is complete peace of mind, completely fair and random gaming, and completely thrilling slots play with every spin! So don’t worry about scams – they’re part of casino gambling’s colourful past, and they’ll stay there. Just place your bets, and enjoy!

Happy Spinning 🙂