Slots

1. Slots Game Protection and Internal Theft

2. SLOT CHEATS WOULD TURN A MACHINE ON IT’S SIDE IF THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD GET AWAY WITH IT!

3. Slots Protection • In today’s world, we have to deal with both the oldest and newest of cheating techniques. • In the first part of this presentation, we will deal with old methods, still in operation, for cheating coin-operated gaming devices (slots).

4. Slots Protection • We will then phase in, through other, more modern methods of cheating, and end up with Internal Theft in Slots. • Be aware that all of these methods, together, demonstrate one thing:

5. Slots Protection No matter what technology is developed, there will always be someone who will try, and probably succeed, in figuring out a way to get around it

6. Slugs

7. Slugs • Slugs are poor-quality approximations, cast in lead or other base metal, of a slot-machine token. • They will be accepted generally into old or poorly maintained machines. • Occasionally the slugger will force a coin acceptor, effectively breaking it, so that it will accept a slug or different denomination coin or token.

8. Slugs Tells: • Playing out of Pockets • Coin in from one pocket or bucket and winnings out into another pocket or bucket • Rubber-necking • Separation of tokens from payouts • Coins frequently fall through to tray • Catching coins as they fall into the tray • Distinctive sound

9. Slugs

10. Slugs

11. Slugs Preventive/Detection Procedures: • Consistent surveillance of slot areas • Notification of suspicious players to Surveillance by Slots personnel • Hard Count notifies of slugs found in drop • Slot floor and techs notify of slugs in machines • Fix the coin acceptors

12. Slugs Detection Techniques: • Surveillance coverage & foot patrols by slots and security • Look for rubber-necks • Establish dedicated coverage of areas being hit • Review slots area tapes for suspects

13. Counterfeit Tokens

14. Counterfeit Tokens Tells: • Maximum coin in , then cash out credits • Minimal play • On-and-off play • JDLR • Rubber-necking • Brings tokens into the casino: plays from pockets or bag, frequently cashes out, never buys tokens • Frequent cash-out, but still has tokens to play

15. Counterfeit Tokens Preventive/Detection Procedures • Dedicated coverage of high-action slots • Monitor high action players, fills and jackpots • Check by tech and hard count of the machines and drop • Tighten up or repair the coin acceptors

16. Counterfeit Tokens Detection Techniques • Routinely check high action players • Monitor unknown high action players • Determine a reason for hopper fills • Check in drop buckets of high-action machines

17. Shaved Tokens • In coin-operated slot machines, there is a device which counts the coins as they run through the payout chute by counting the number of times a beam of light is interrupted by the passing coins. • Shaved tokens do not interrupt this beam on certain types of slot machines. • The coins or tokens are reduced in diameter by as little as 3% or as much as 10%

18. Standard Token Shaved Token Light Emitter Light Receiver Light Emitter Light Receiver Shaved Token Standard Token Coin Chute Coin Chute Shaved Tokens

19. Shaved Tokens Tells: • Rubber-necking • Sorting coin from payout • Frequent cash-out of tokens, retaining one part of sort • Coins frequently fall through to tray • Blockers/Distracters • Coin out doesn’t match win meter • Frequent cash-out of credits • Shaved tokens found in drop during weigh/wrap • Suspects will catch tokens as they are paid out of machine • Brings tokens to the casino but does not buy them

20. Shaved Tokens

21. Shaved Tokens

22. Shaved Tokens Preventive/Detection Procedures: • Hard Count and/or Slots must report unusual sized tokens/coins and/or different denominations found in hopper or drop • Slot Dept. must report hopper fills on any machine left unattended • Slot Dept. must report any machine filled 3 times within a 24 hour period • Tighten up or repair the coin acceptors

23. Shaved Tokens Detection Techniques • Observe rubber-neckers • Determine reason for unusual amount of fills • Investigate reports of unusual sized coins and/or different denomination coins or tokens • Check players who frequently cash-out coin or credits • Check payout meter to reel symbols for correct pays

24. Counterfeit Cash

25. Counterfeit Cash • No matter what changes the Treasury Department makes in our bills, the counterfeiter is only one very short step behind, especially with today’s computer technology. • It is unfortunately very common for people to feed counterfeit bills through dirty or poorly maintained or adjusted bill validators.

26. Counterfeit Cash Tells: • Frequent input of cash, frequent cash-out of credits • Minimal and/or no play • Player or associate continuously at cage or booth cashing out • Unknown player (does not use player card) • Will return several times to a machine that accepts counterfeit money

27. Counterfeit Cash Tells: • Rubber-necking • Bills will be rejected often, suspect will try same bill repeatedly • Counterfeit & good money will be kept separate, bills into validator from one location and bills from cash-out to another. • Moves from machine to machine until one is found that will accept the money

28. Counterfeit Cash Preventive Procedures: • Investigate reports of counterfeit bills found by soft count • Contact Validator Unit manufacturer for repair/tuning of units • Preventive maintenance/cleaning of bill validators

29. Counterfeit Cash Detection Techniques: • Review existing recordings to provide a description of suspects • Dedicate coverage to machines where bills were found

30. Payout Scams • There are a number of other scams that focus on the payout mechanisms of slot machines.

31. Payout Scams Tells: • Coin payout meter does not match coin paid out. • Payout does not match symbols on reel • Player reaches up into payout chute to place/retrieve device • Hoppers found empty or near empty without players present • Rubber-necking

32. Optic Devices • Coin-operated slot machines have in the payout chute, an optic coin counter, that works by counting the number of times a coin interrupts a beam of light. • Devices have been designed that “fool” this counting device by shining a strong light into the receiver.

33. Light Emitter Light Receiver Light Emitter Light Receiver Coin Optic Device Coin Coin Chute Coin Chute Optic Devices Shaved Token

34. Optic Devices • Optic devices (known as Mini-Lights) must be tailored exactly to a particular type of machine: it is shaped exactly to be inserted through the payout chute or other opening.

35. Optic Devices

36. Optic Devices

37. Optic Devices • Tells: • Hand in unusual position in the payout tray • Flexing fingers on the hand in the payout tray • Credit meter does not match number of coins paid • Pauses in payout meter while coins still falling • Hopper empties without matching coin-out reader • Too many fills • Rubber-necking • Two people working, one runs credit meter up and the other cashes out while the first one blocks • Machine requires fill but no player present

38. Optic Devices

39. Optic Devices

40. Optic Devices

41. Optic devices • Prevention/Detection procedures • Visible foot patrols in coin machine areas • Check coin-out meter against SDS system • Consistent Surveillance patrols • Check out unknown players (no player card) • Check people frequently cashing out coin, unusual amounts of win • Check out rubber-neckers • Coverage of any coin machines with payout inconsistent with number of fills

42. Shims and Other Manipulators • Other devices have been designed over the years to fool or otherwise manipulate the coin-out chute, by holding it open.

43. Shims and Other Manipulators

44. Shims and Other Manipulators • Kickstand Device

45. Shims and Other Manipulators • Variations of the kickstand

46. Shims and Other Manipulators • Shims

47. Shims and Other Manipulators • Tells: • Hand in payout tray in unusual position • Hand will be flexing during payout • Pauses in credit meter while coins are falling • Too many fills on one machine or bank of identical machines • Fill required on machine with no player present • Coin out does not match meter

48. Shims and Other Manipulators • Prevention/Detection procedures • Visible foot patrols in coin machine areas • Check coin-out meter against SDS system • Consistent Surveillance patrols of coin machine areas • Check out unknown players (no player card) • Check people frequently cashing out coin, unusual amounts of win • Check out rubber-neckers • Coverage of any coin machines with payout inconsistent with number of fills

49. Stuffing Coin Chutes • This is definitely low-tech cheating. • By stuffing a piece of paper, tape or a magnet into the end of the coin-out chute, one can cause the last few coins of a payout to stop in the chute. • Later, the cheater comes back and removes the blockage, and a few coins will fall out into his hand.

50. Stuffing Coin Chutes • Tells: • Rubber-necking • Payouts with no play • Legitimate guests complain at change booth of short payout • Hand in chute inserting the blockage • Hand in chute retrieving coin with no play