It was more than two decades ago that Barron Hilton, the chairman of the hotel chain that bears his name (and grandfather of you-know-who), shelled out $50,000 for a private, six-hour seminar from Steve Forte, arguably the leading expert on casino games cheaters and scam artists. Forte was the consultant on the poker movie "Rounders," starring Matt Damon and Ed Norton, and is the author of several books and videos on casino cons, swindles and rip-offs.
At $50,000, Hilton may have gotten a bargain because it's estimated (although impossible to prove) that cheats, or
crossroaders, as they're often called, steal $100 million annually from casinos.
In Part 1 of our series, we look at slot machine crooks.
The war between slot machine
crossroaders and casinos is a technological one, with slot manufacturers constantly upgrading their equipment in an attempt to stay a step ahead of the thieves.
Better constructed machinery has all but eliminated such techniques as
spooning, where a spoon-like device is inserted up the payoff tray to make the machine release its coins;
stringing, where a coin on a string is used for repeated plays; and
handle popping, a technique in which cheaters apply tremendous force in the first two or three pulls causing the handle mechanism to weaken. Most handle poppers were able to hold the first reel and save a valuable symbol, such as a bar, on the center line. Some expert cheats even were able to hold more than one reel. The machine, with its locked-in symbols, then could be played endlessly, greatly increasing the crossroader's advantage. Handle poppers often used accomplices, called
blockers, to shield the excessive force and non-spinning reels from view.
Strong arm cheating included the use of a piano wire or
bottom joint, inserted through a puncture hole, to contact the slot's payout counter. Then a boomerang-shaped object, called the
top joint, was angled through the coin slot until it made contact with the display light sockets on the inside of the machine. Current then traveled through the top joint to the bottom joint which energized the machine's payout process.
Some slot crossroaders, or
drillers, gained access to the inner workings of the machine with a high-speed, carbon-tipped drill that often was no larger than a pen. Then, often with the aid of a small but powerful magnet hidden in a cigarette pack, they manipulated the wheels.
"The quality of the machines has improved dramatically," said Forte, whose clients have included some of the largest casino operators in the world. "Today, the machines are virtually foolproof."
But not quite.
"There's always a way," conceded Forte. "At one time the hottest scam in the industry involved a device called a
minilight. In the old days, the hopper, which actually dispenses the coins, was mechanical. If you could get power to it, it would start spitting out the coins."
To make it more difficult for crossroaders, the industry adopted optical sensors, which operate by light.
"The thieves went in through the coin payout shoot with a device the size of a fork with an LED light at one end and a magnet to hold it in place at the other end," explained Forte. "They built up credits and when they hit the payout button, they turned on the light, which confused the optic sensor and caused the machine to overpay. The light could be turned on with a transmitter receiver so they didn't have to reach under the machine to do it manually. Once the scam was uncovered, enforcement officials found the minilights all over town. Manufacturers of slot machines quickly adapted and moved the optic sensor to the back of the machine where it couldn't be accessed."
And so, the technological battle between slot makers and slot takers rages on, with innovative crooks facing resourceful casino personnel in an ongoing and ever-evolving war of survival.
Next: Part 2, Blackjack scams.
This article was written by Luken Karel for
http://www.thegreek.com. The Greek Sportsbook & Casino is host to one of the top online casinos and sportsbooks offering
casino games and sports betting on NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and all other major sports. The Greek is a must have sports betting and entertainment portal with one of the largest wagering menus available online. Article reproductions must include a link pointing to
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