Is it possible to scam the pokies? Has anyone ever defrauded the slot machines?
Mechanical slot machines (or ‘pokies’ as they are known in Australia) and their coin acceptors were sometimes susceptible to cheating devices and other pokie scams. Many of them made headlines, but one historical example involved spinning a coin with a short length of plastic wire. The size and actual weight of the coin would be accepted by the pokie machine and credits would be granted. However, the spin created by the plastic wire would cause the coin to exit through the reject chute into the payout tray. Therefore, players could get credits on the pokie or slot machine without actually putting any money in. This particular scam has become obsolete due to improvements in newer slot machines.
Modern slot machines are controlled by EPROM computer chips and, in large casinos, coin acceptors have become obsolete in favor of bill acceptors. These machines and their bill acceptors are designed with advanced anti-cheating and anti-counterfeiting measures and are difficult to defraud. Early computerized slot machines were sometimes defrauded through the use of cheating devices, such as the “slider” or “monkey paw” used by notorious slot cheat Tommy Glenn Carmichael. However, more recent attempts at defrauding slot machines involve manipulating the EPROM, such as by directing microwaves toward it to disrupt its proper functioning. Casino insiders such as Ronald Dale Harris have also been discovered manipulating the software in slot machines in order to defraud casino operators.