Slot machines are probably the most popular casino games, and with that, the most lucrative games on the casino floor – both for the player, who can win exciting sums of money, and the house. Although rigging a slot machine is practically impossible (especially for casinos as slot games work on thanks to a Random Number Generator), cheaters worldwide realized there are some hacks and tricks that will help anyone win. Slot machines have always been a game of cat and mouse between the casinos and the cheaters. But what are some of the most popular ways to cheat a slot machine?

Know how slot machines work.

Sneaky hacks for slot machines

Cheat codes

Gambling authorities exist so that they can ensure that the gaming industry is operating fairly and correctly. The engineers behind gaming machines design the games so that they can be monitored and audited correctly so that they offer the best gameplay experience. However, sometimes it might happen that an engineer rigs the game by introducing codes for their own advantage. At least, that is what Ronald Dale Harris did, also known as the engineer from The Nevada Gaming Commission. He cheated machines by knowing the source codes for games, and ultimately his partner had a big win at a casino – he won more than R$100.000, and the scam was discovered. This means that it’s possible to cheat at a game using a code, but these are very hard to find.

Magnet

If you wanted to know how to cheat at slot machines and read articles online, you probably came across the idea of using a magnet. It’s not really possible to cheat modern-day slot machines with a magnet, as they are all programmed by computer software, and everything depends on the RNG. But in case you find yourself at a casino with older machines that are made of metal, you might be able to pull this off. This is done by spinning the slot machine and then using a very strong magnet to help them stop spinning when you see your winning combination. 

Bill validator device

Another way to cheat a slot machine is by introducing fake money to the game. This is yet another technique that is impossible to do at online casinos or at modern casinos that don’t accept cash, but it might be quite possible to do in case you find an older slot machine. The bill validator device is very simple and very effective slot cheat. This is actually a small device that is wrapped around a bill in order to fill the slot machine into thinking that it’s a different bill than the one you’re actually holding. This means that you can use a humble $1 bill and fool the slot machine. It’s a $100 bill.

Software glitches

Software glitches have been manipulated by cheats for decades. In 2015, a 90-year-old lady from Illinois won $41 million on a Miss Kitty slot machine thanks to a software glitch, which was the most famous incident of cheating because of software glitches. Because of the number of people who tried to cheat on slot machines thanks to software glitches, not many jackpot winners are being denied their winnings. How does this work? Players can play a certain pattern of stakes and games in order to confuse the machine and, as a result, trigger a glitch that pays out the jackpot.

Hacking RNG cycles

Nowadays, it’s possible to cheat some slot machines using your mobile phone. Although it is believed that RNG is safe because they are random, it has been discovered that some design generators can be tricked by reverse engineering. This means that players with good mathematical skills can succeed in hacking a slot machine regardless of the RNG. One team of fraudsters figured out how the numbers on a slot machine would come up. Then they sent people to play at many casinos around the world. The fraudsters told the players where to play and when. The random number generator was hacked, and the fraudsters won millions of dollars. To figure out when the slot machine would be ready, a computer expert was needed to determine when the RNG would be in the right cycle. Thanks to technology, it was very easy to send videos of people playing slots on mobile phones to an expert who was away from the casino. The person listening to the recordings could tell where the slots were located, and then they could tell exactly when the player should click the button. Then the person processing the payout and the RNG sequence would send a message to the fraudster’s phone. The hacker would then have to click the spin button. At the right time, a spinning winning combination would appear.

Is it really possible to hack slot machines?

Although this article included some of the most interesting cheating practices of the past and possible cheats for cheating at casinos today, it’s true that fewer people cheat at slot machines than before. However, that doesn’t mean that hacking machines is impossible – it’s only very hard to cheat one. It’s also good to bear in mind that all successful slot machine hackers ended up in prison, which means that it’s an endeavour that carries a lot of risk with it. 

Conclusion

Yes, cheating at slot machines might be interesting to some, but the general idea behind slot machines is for players to have fun and try out their luck, not only earn money. Cheating at slot machines is an extremely risky business, with not a very high success percentage.