vpFREE2 Forums

Faulty machines; just how close are we being watched anyway??

#1

Here is an interesting article which reports that 26 slot machines were apparently misprogrammed at a casino in Indiana, so that ...
"If you put in $5, you got $10. If you put in $20, you won $40 -- without pressing a button."
See http://tinyurl.com/3ckdx

What is fascinating is how this was detected. "According to a report from the State Police gaming division, casino security officers saw a man cash out his bet without playing a single spin Dec. 7." I would never have guessed that anyone would ever pay any attention to someone cashing out after putting in their money and not playing; people change their minds all the time and sometimes they do it just to get change for a large bill so they can tip a waitress. And think about it; unless security was looking right over this guys shoulder at the time, why would they be paying any attention to whether he was getting back more than he put in (I'm surprised that they knew which size bill he inserted, and then paid enough attention to the coins coming out to realize he was being paid double. (If it was a TITO machine, that's even more bizarre).

Bill Velek

#2

Bill,

Big brother is watching us from the Eye in the Sky.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#3

Bill, I tend to agree with you that the detection explanation does not wash. I would like to know what did tip them off. Was it a conscientious player who realized that something was wrong and reported it (YES, THEY DO EXIST) or did the casino notice that coin out was exceeding coin in and coin played. Who knows???

···

Bill Velek <billvelek@alltel.net> wrote:

"
What is fascinating is how this was detected. "According to a report
from the State Police gaming division, casino security officers saw a
man cash out his bet without playing a single spin Dec. 7." I would
never have guessed that anyone would ever pay any attention to someone
cashing out after putting in their money and not playing;"

vpFREE Links: http://www.west-point.org/users/usma1955/20228/VP/Links.htm

Yahoo! Groups Links

To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vpFREE/

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
vpFREE-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Find out what made the Top Yahoo! Searches of 2003

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#4

Bill, I tend to agree with you that the detection explanation does not

wash.

I would like to know what did tip them off. Was it a conscientious player
who realized that something was wrong and reported it (YES, THEY DO EXIST)
or did the casino notice that coin out was exceeding coin in and coin

played.

Who knows???

I would think that if the casino saw several people walking up, putting in
cash, then cashing out without playing, over and over again, they MIGHT
notice somethinng.

Sort of like the ATM in NYC that was accidentally loaded with $100 bills
instead of $20's... people would take out $100 and get $500. The bank
noticed when the line to use the machine STRECHED AROUND THE BLOCK.

It was probably pretty obvious from the body language of people at the
machines. Security people are pretty good at spotting odd behavior.

#5

I saw this reported on the local news last night. So much for casinos not making mistakes.

···

At 01:11 PM 1/3/2004, you wrote:

Here is an interesting article which reports that 26 slot machines were
apparently misprogrammed at a casino in Indiana, so that ...
"If you put in $5, you got $10. If you put in $20, you won $40 --
without pressing a button."
See http://tinyurl.com/3ckdx

#6

And think about it; unless security was looking right over this guys
shoulder at the time, why would they be paying any attention .......

I wonder if it isn't likely that someone was repeatedly putting in
money and cashing out. That would draw attention and would be the MO
of some folks who stumbled on such a find.

#7

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "worldbefree22001" <krajewski.sa@p...>
wrote:

And think about it; unless security was looking right over this

guys

shoulder at the time, why would they be paying any attention .......

I witnessed tne same thing happen while working surveillance at a
local racino several years ago. X-number of hopper fills in X-number
of time triggers a look see from the money room. I watched this
older fellow putting $20 bills in a dollar three reel slot machine,
play a couple pulls then dump. When his bucket was full, a woman
would cash them in and he would repeat the cycle. I admit I thought
it was counterfeit money. They emptied the bill validater and found
this not to be the case. Finally when the credits were at zero, he
put in a $20 bill and received 40 credits. It seems the technician
had installed a 50cent chip in the bill acceptor of a dollar machine.
They told the man to get up, fixed the machine, and took the aprox.
$3000 loss. Regards Jack P

#8

And that's my ONE gripe about TITO machines; you CAN'T use this
method to get change to tip a waitress with!

<G>

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, Bill Velek <billvelek@a...> wrote:

I would never have guessed that anyone would ever pay any attention
to someone cashing out after putting in their money and not
playing; people change their minds all the time and sometimes they
do it just to get change for a large bill so they can tip a
waitress.

(snip)

(If it was a TITO machine, that's even more bizarre).

#9

Soon, TITO machines will have an option to print out an $X ticket to give as a tip, just like some small-denomination machines have the "quick change" option which spews out $1 in change for a tip. I realize this may cause some controversy as to why a waitress would have a TITO voucher, but maybe some casinos wouldn't mind. I've seen cage cashiers accept vouchers as a tip and place them in their tip jars.

I haven't been to Vegas since the TITO crazy began, but do changepeople cash TITO vouchers on the gaming floor?

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, Bill Velek <billvelek@a...> wrote:
  > I would never have guessed that anyone would ever pay any attention
  > to someone cashing out after putting in their money and not
  > playing; people change their minds all the time and sometimes they
  > do it just to get change for a large bill so they can tip a
  > waitress.
  >
  > (snip)
  >
  > (If it was a TITO machine, that's even more bizarre).

  And that's my ONE gripe about TITO machines; you CAN'T use this
  method to get change to tip a waitress with!

  <G>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#10

I haven't been to Vegas since the TITO crazy began, but do

changepeople cash TITO vouchers on the gaming floor?

···

  
=================================
Depends on the casino. Green Valley Ranch does but Fiesta Henderson
does not. In-fact, I don't remember any casino cashing them on the
floor except GVR.

#11

the Flamingo did last year when I was there, don't know if it was a test or what .

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "staninnv" <arnot@c...> wrote:

> I haven't been to Vegas since the TITO crazy began, but do
changepeople cash TITO vouchers on the gaming floor?
>

=================================
Depends on the casino. Green Valley Ranch does but Fiesta Henderson
does not. In-fact, I don't remember any casino cashing them on the
floor except GVR.