Physical devices are used by slot cheats to trick the machine into not registering a proper payout. Whether this is holding open the dispensing mechanism or blinding the machine to prevent it from seeing the coins being paid out the methods are ingenious but are a little more risky than say shaved coins as there is little doubt about what the device is used for if your caught. Most of these devices can not be used by a single person and require a team to properly use.
Light Wand - This device was developed by Tommy Glenn Carmicheal and works on a similar principle to the Monkey Wire except it worked on machines after the Monkey Wire no longer worked. This device was very small and lightweight and consisted of a wire, a tiny light bulb and a small battery. Slot Machine use a optical device for counting out the correct number of coins when a paying reel combination is hit. The Light wand is inserted in the slot machine via the coin hopper and placed so that the light blinds to optical reader. When a paying combination is hit the machine is emptied and the cheat collects their money and moves on to the next machine. Ironically one time when Tommy was using the device he actually hit a jackpot with the light wand in place. If it wasn't for the quick thinking of his girlfriend at the time that delayed the Casino personnel Tommy would not have been able to retrieve the light wand and his cheating device would have been discovered when the slot machine was inspected before Tommy's jackpot was paid out. Again like the Monkey Wire there is little doubt if caught what the light wand is used for. Inserting and retrieving the light wand is just as risky as the Monkey Wire.
Drilling - This cheat is more myth than fact. It certainly was a popular cheat in Hollywood movies but I highly doubt it was actually used for anything more than a petty attack on a casino in real life. The idea behind the drill attack is to drill a hole in the side of the machine to insert a device to alter the payout mechanism of the slot machine either physically or electronically. It is fairly obvious to see why this type of attack would be of little use to someone who is trying to cheat the casino. Drilling metal is not an easy, or quiet process and a hole in the metal shell of the slot machine isn't going to help you affect the outcome of a slot machine.
Coin Hopper and Cashbox theft - Although this method might lack the romantasism associated with other gambling cheating methods it is possibly the most effective way of stealing money from the casino. Slot machines and Video Poker Machines mainly use tubular locks which with some practice can be picked with relative ease. What is unique about these locks is that they can be picked and by using a lock decoder a master key can be made without actually opening the machine in question. Once the master key is made the master will usually open a bank of slot machines or video poker machines. Once the cheat can unlock a machine the bill cashbox or the the Coin Hopper can be be emptied by an experience theif in as little as 7 seconds.
Carmichael was in the slot machine cheating business for over 20 years. 30 years ago, when Carmichael got started, the state-of-the-art slot machine cheating tool was a “top-bottom joint”, which is just a piece of metal that slides into the coin release slot. This triggers un-earned payouts in massive amounts—or at least it did in 1980. For example, in slots machine cheats such electronic cheat device as gambling machine jack potter and credit signaler may be used. These devices are the result of the several years of research and development in the gambling sphere. It can affect slots, fruit, video, 8 liners, cherry master, gold and pot gambling machines. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Slot Machine EMP Jammer Cheat Device Stopper Pot O Gold 8 Liner Cherry Master at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products! Slot machines are some of the most lucrative games on the casino floor for both the players, the house and cheaters. Even though they’re electronic, slots can be easily manipulated and 'tricked'. Slots can rake in the most money from stakes but they can also deliver some of the biggest jackpot payouts.
Monkey Wire - A Monkey wire is a wire that is inserted into the slot machine through the coin hopper. Once in the machine the Monkey Wire is placed so that it blocks the counting mechanism of the slot machine preventing it from knowing how much it has paid out. This device won't make the slot machine hit more often but when it hits it will payout more than it should. So for example, instead of paying out 30 coins for a reel combination the machine might end up paying out 60 or 70 coins. The downfall like most devices is that you need to be able to insert the device into the slot machine without being seen and then retrieve it before you leave. If you are caught there is very little doubt what the device is being used for.Light Wand - This device was developed by Tommy Glenn Carmicheal and works on a similar principle to the Monkey Wire except it worked on machines after the Monkey Wire no longer worked. This device was very small and lightweight and consisted of a wire, a tiny light bulb and a small battery. Slot Machine use a optical device for counting out the correct number of coins when a paying reel combination is hit. The Light wand is inserted in the slot machine via the coin hopper and placed so that the light blinds to optical reader. When a paying combination is hit the machine is emptied and the cheat collects their money and moves on to the next machine. Ironically one time when Tommy was using the device he actually hit a jackpot with the light wand in place. If it wasn't for the quick thinking of his girlfriend at the time that delayed the Casino personnel Tommy would not have been able to retrieve the light wand and his cheating device would have been discovered when the slot machine was inspected before Tommy's jackpot was paid out. Again like the Monkey Wire there is little doubt if caught what the light wand is used for. Inserting and retrieving the light wand is just as risky as the Monkey Wire.
Drilling - This cheat is more myth than fact. It certainly was a popular cheat in Hollywood movies but I highly doubt it was actually used for anything more than a petty attack on a casino in real life. The idea behind the drill attack is to drill a hole in the side of the machine to insert a device to alter the payout mechanism of the slot machine either physically or electronically. It is fairly obvious to see why this type of attack would be of little use to someone who is trying to cheat the casino. Drilling metal is not an easy, or quiet process and a hole in the metal shell of the slot machine isn't going to help you affect the outcome of a slot machine.
Coin Hopper and Cashbox theft - Although this method might lack the romantasism associated with other gambling cheating methods it is possibly the most effective way of stealing money from the casino. Slot machines and Video Poker Machines mainly use tubular locks which with some practice can be picked with relative ease. What is unique about these locks is that they can be picked and by using a lock decoder a master key can be made without actually opening the machine in question. Once the master key is made the master will usually open a bank of slot machines or video poker machines. Once the cheat can unlock a machine the bill cashbox or the the Coin Hopper can be be emptied by an experience theif in as little as 7 seconds.
The flaws in smart contracts and the security corner round out the news. Read on..
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Reverse-engineering a 45-year old ALU.This post from Ken Shirriff explains how the ALU worked in Intel’s first 8-bit microprocessor, the 8008. If you don’t know why that matters, “the 8008 is historically important because it essentially started the microprocessor revolution and is the ancestor of the x86 processor family that you are probably using right now.”
Understanding htop. htop is a powerful process monitor that reveals much more data about a machine’s performance than regular top. Here’s a great overview that explains what all the fields, graphs, and related stuff means.
“Smart Contracts” are neither?This post from Ed Felten’s Freedom to Tinker explains how smart contracts, as used in some blockchain-based systems, aren’t really smart and aren’t really contracts.
Have $55? This tool will destroy many devices just by plugging it in. The “USB Killer” device does what it says on the tin, permanently damaging the USB port or entire device in many pieces of hardware. It does this by sucking power from the device, storing it in a series of onboard capacitors, then barfing a giant voltage spike across the USB/Lightning port of the target device, causing it to have a bad day. Maybe Apple’s courage in removing ports was just a brilliant bit of foresight.
A hole in the cloud. Another great 33C3 talk was this series of talks discussing how memory deduplication in virtual machines can be exploited. The three methods (CAIN, CAIN+Rowhammer, and Flip Feng Shui) combine to enable things like SSH login, browser exploits, and a compromise of the software update process. Which slot machines have the best payouts.
Cheating a slot machine through the power of random numbers. Using a cell phone app to exploit the PRNG in a slot machine lead to huge casino losses. Read more in this piece from Wired. How much can you exploit the machines for? Try “upwards of $250,000 in a single week.”
The people responsible for sending the missile warning have been sacked. An alerting system test at Spangadhlem Air Base in Germany probably lead to much freaking-out, as a message was sent telling airmen that a missile was inbound to the base and to seek shelter immediately. Eight minutes later, the all clear was sent.
“Web Bluetooth” - two words I never wanted to see together. Chrome version 56 has added support for the Web Bluetooth API, opening up your Bluetooth devices to fun and exciting exploits from the Internet… I mean, opening up your Bluetooth devices to interact with websites for things like data exchange or software updates. Ostensibly, you must affirmatively opt-in before any data about your Bluetooth devices is shared with the website, but we’ll see how well that actually is implemented.
In the security corner: websites continue to find ways to fingerprint users, that doll might be a spy, and new Mac malware comes from Russia, with love:
- In news I’m certain surprised absolutely nobody, researchers have developed a technique to track users even if they use multiple browsers. As you might guess if you’re familiar with fingerprinting techniques, it relies primarily on WebGL tasks, most of which execute in very similar ways across browsers. According to the researchers, they are able to successfully fingerprint over 99% of users.
- The “My Friend Cayla” doll was classified by the German government as an illegal espionage apparatus, because it contains a microphone and is disguised as another object. The Germans, for some reason, are very wary of anything that could conceivably be used for surveillance. Access to the doll is, of course, not very secure, contributing to the problem.
- Xagent malware for the Mac has been blamed on APT28, the same Russian hacking group allegedly responsible for the DNC leaks in the 2016 election. Xagent has many capabilities and uses domains that look like Apple domains to hide their C&C services. Of course, attributing malware to any group is more art than science, but this is still noteworthy because of how strong this malware is.
Slot Machine Electronic Cheat Devices
As a programming note, we won’t produce a rundown next week. Look for the next one on Monday, March 6. Further, we’re continuing to experiment with the best way to deliver this content. Look for video features to join this rundown soon. If you have feedback, or think there’s something I should cover next time, leave a comment!
Gambling Cheating Devices For Sale
Cover photo: A slot machine interface. Note: the machine pictured is not made by the manufacturer of the machines that were exploited in the slot machine story. It's just a flashy pic of a slot machine. Credit: Bloomberg / Getty