Fruit machines are pretty sophisticated these days. They are specifically designed so they can’t be “gamed” and are rigorously tested to be tamper-proof. However, there are always people out there who think they can rip off a fruit machine, at the cost to your venue.
How fruit machines work
Before you can understand how fruit machines can be cheated, it’s useful to understand how they work. Fruit machines have been developed over the years, from a system using tubes and solenoids, to today’s more complex digital gaming machines.
Fruit Machines: The Basics
On original fruit machines, users pop in a coin which (as long as it’s valid) then lands in a ‘hopper’ (formerly a system of tubes) and gets added to the fruit machine’s float. When a winning spin lands, the machine dispenses the allocated amount from the hopper.
Behind the Scenes
Today, the technological innovations in fruit machines represent some of the most advanced technology in the gaming market. The key to a fruit machine lies in its RNG, or Random Number Generator. Simply put, an RNG is a piece of computer software that randomises all outcomes, ensuring that every spin of the fruit machine generates a result that is independent of the previous spin in every way. Simulating randomness in a man-made creation is a serious challenge, but leading software providers and gaming developers have perfected this.
Each slot machine has a certain number of spinning reels and a certain number of symbols. There is also a certain number of winning combinations (or paylines). For each reel, the RNG will select a random number which is associated with each symbol. This results in a huge number of variations in each fruit machine spin. By the time you have deposited coins in the slot, the RNG has already determined the outcome.
How people cheat fruit machines
There will always be people who want to cheat the system, and find a way to win on fruit machines. When they first came out, this was a pretty easy feat, but nowadays fruit machine cheats have a real task on their hands.
Cheating modern fruit machines
When they were made with tubes and solenoids, fruit machines were much easier to cheat simply using a drill. Nowadays though, cheaters have to contend with a computerised Random Number Generator.
Contrary to the name, RNGs are never truly random, simply because they are coded pieces of software. RNGs take a number, and then alter it together with various hidden and changing variables. This could be anything from the time from a machine’s internal clock, to the pattern of lights illuminated at certain times. The purpose of these variables is to produce a result that appears impossible to predict. But if you knew the variables, all the elements that make up the RNG, you could potentially predict the output; something that the Lumiere Place Casino in St Louis discovered back in June 2014.
Murat Bliev and his gang of thieves
Staff at the Lumiere Place Casino noticed an anomaly with their slot machine. Despite not awarding any major jackpots, a number of their machines had paid out over the odds, to the tune of $21,000 in total. The exploit was traced to a Russian, named Murat Bliev. It seemed he had cracked the RNG algorithm on an Aristocrat Mark IV model slot machine.
How did Murat Bliev hack a slot machine?
Russia outlawed almost all gambling in 2009, in an effort to cripple Georgian organised crime, which used gambling, especially slot machines, as a way to generate revenue and launder cash.
Forced with the need to offload their machines fast, casinos and bookies in Russia sold their machines to anyone who would buy them. This included fraudsters and counterfeiters, who were keen to explore the slot machine source code. The source code (the nuts and bolts of how the RNG software works) can reveal potential vulnerabilities to those clever enough to find them.
This is exactly what Bliev managed to do. By recording a few spins of the machine, he and his cohorts could determine the results of particular spins to game the machine into landing on winning reels.
What this means for future fruit machines
Murat Bliev and his gang were caught, but not before rinsing America and Europe of hundreds of machines. Since then, the Aristocrat Mark IV model slot machine was recalled, and manufacturers have taken even further steps to keep their machines secure.
Even so, it stands to reason that there are plenty more people out there who are spending time trying to crack RNG algorithms used in fruit machines all over the world. So, it’s still important to stay vigilant and know how to spot fruit machine cheats.
How to Spot Fruit Machine Cheats
In general, big and obvious exploits are taken care of by the fruit machine’s design. Any source codes that get discovered, if they ever do, are quickly changed by the manufacturers to protect the machines and their customers. Despite this security, however, there is always a chance that a new cheat is discovered. Avoid problems by taking a few vigilant steps to catch fruit machine cheats;
- Position your fruit machines within clear view of both your staff and your CCTV.
- Watch for patterns among your players; if the same people come in at the same times and win, that’s a red flag that they may have discovered a new cheat. If they appear to play in an unusual way, keep an eye on their behaviour.
- Be mindful of large groups clustering around your machines. They may be shielding people from physically manipulating the machines to get at the cash inside.
- Keep your staff well advised as to whether visitors or repairmen are due to service the fruit machines when they are on shift. Only allow your approved fruit machine supplier to access your machines.
Today’s fruit machines are a secure and valuable revenue stream to many pubs and clubs in the UK. They provide entertainment to patrons and help create a fun and pleasurable atmosphere. Help keep your revenue stream safe by being vigilant, keeping your fruit machines close to the bar and making sure your staff are informed and educated.
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