For nearly as long as there have been slot games, like fruit machines, there have been gamers who cheat. Hearing stories of how people have attempted to cheat these machines throughout the years is extremely interesting. From coins on a string to a magnetic field, we will be sharing all of the ways people have tried to beat slot machines by illegal means. All of these cheats on the list are illegal and no longer work as fruit machines have evolved to eradicate cheaters.
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Cheat 1 - The coin on a string
The coin on a string trick was one of the first cheats around. This is perhaps one of the easiest ones as cheaters would simply attach a string to a coin and drop the coin into the slot. They would move the string up and down until the slot registered coins as credits.
Cheat 2 - The shaved coin
Cheats love shaved coins. As technology improved, fruit machines started to use a light sensor to register payment and in most machines, the optic sensor worked individually. This meant that shaved coins were counted as real coins. The shaved coins would then get rejected, however, all credits would be gained.
Cheat 3 - Fake coins
Similar to shaved coins, people also used to use fake coins. This was a very common method of slots cheating and they were famously used by con artist Lous "The Coin" Colavecchio. His cheating didn't end well as he was arrested in 1998 after it was discovered that he had been using this scam for many years. Once a cheat, always a cheat. It's no surprise really that when he was released in 2006, he continued with his cheating ways.
Cheat 4 - Magnetic field
This method of cheating was particularly popular in the sixties and seventies. Some machines had a strong magnet on the outside (they don't have these anymore) that made it possible for reels to float freely rather than stopping where they were supposed to.
As you probably have guessed, cheaters would remove the magnet when the reels created a winning combination. This method of cheating is impossible to use today as wins are determined by a random number generator rather than what you see on the reels.
Cheat 5 - Accidental glitches
Many people have reported accidental glitches with fruit machines. Some of these could be fake, however, it is possible for slot machines to glitch from time to time. Weirdly, a lot of slot machines apparently have cheats built into them to make players think that they are cheating and beating the machine when in actual fact they are not.
Cheat 6 - The coat hanger
For a short amount of time, some cheaters had discovered that they could bend metal hangers to alter the mechanics of a slot machine to activate payouts. This cheat was short-lived and we definitely don't think you could get away with that today.
Cheat 7 - Cheat code
What happens when you're a cheat AND an engineer? Engineers are responsible for creating gaming machines which are high-quality and can be monitored and audited.
It is possible for engineers to rig the codes to their own advantage and that is exactly what Ronald Dale Harris did. This Nevada Gaming Commission engineer cheated for many years and was only caught when his partner mysteriously 'won' $100,000.
Cheat 8 - The light wand
Ten points for Tommy Glenn Carmichael for being creative. Tommy Glenn Carmichael created one of the most famous slot cheats in gambling history. He designed the light wand which made winning jackpots look effortlessly magical.
The light wand worked by blinding the machine's optical sensor so it couldn't figure out how many coins had been put in. This made it hard to know how much to pay out or when to pay out. This cheating wizard could make small wins into big ones.
Cheat 9 - Monkey Paw
The monkey paw was another cheat created by cheating genius Tommy Glenn Carmichael. Maybe he got bored with the light wand and wanted to create something else and get away with it? Who knows.
The monkey paw was effortless. It worked by simply attaching a guitar string to a bent metal rod and then poking this into the machine's air vent. He would move this around the machine until he clicked the trigger switch. This then caused a mountain of coins to fall out.
Cheat 10 - Get inside the machine
This one made us giggle. In the 90s an arrest was made in Nevada when a woman attempted to cheat on one of the best online to play slot games. She opened the door and climbed into the machine attempting to manipulate the reels into a winning position. She then climbed back out and shut the door but little did she know (or did she) that other gamers and security guards knew exactly what she was up to.
Cheat 11 - Computer Chip Replacement
Dennis Nikrasch thought he had a great idea when he bought a slot machine for his home. After playing around and messing about with the machine in his garage, he learned about all of its flaws. He figured out the computer chips inside fruit machines could be re-programmed. Once he figured this out, he manipulated the chips to win jackpots as often as he wanted.
He was even crazy enough to hire a whole team of scammers who could help him tamper with all of the computer chips he bought. He scammed a lot of casinos for many years simply by switching the regular chips with his manipulated fraudulent chips.
There are so many more ways people have cheated on fruit machines and we're sure these stories are not going to be the last we hear. People attempt to cheat all of the time but the reality is that you will get caught. Don't be like these cheaters! Play fairly and luck will eventually come your way.
How to Play Slot Machines without Cheating
It is interesting to see how people used to cheat the casinos back in the day, but to be honest, the casinos used to have much less regulations and could therefore cheat players themselves. In 2021, online casinos, like Easy Slots, are licensed and regulated offering a 100% safe and transparent experience.
Slot players are also not able to cheat due to the various technological advancements, which makes online gambling a pretty fair two-way relationship. Still, players can take into account a few factors when deciding which slot machine to play online, which might help them make some small wins without actually employing any tricks and cheats:
- Slot RTP - this value highlights long term house edge.
- Slot Machines Volatility - this metric is an educated approach to loose and tight slots; it illustrates how often and how big the wins will be.
- Bonus Features & Jackpots - the more bonus features in a slot, the most likely to trigger regular wins; the opposite is true for jackpot slot machines.
If you feel like it is a good time to put these tips into use, why not try these top-rated online slots on Easy Slots?
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- Cops and Robbers - Bet levels range greatly and the free spins round is triggered relatively often.
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