Slot Cheats That Work

By Alex Smith, Last updated Mar 23, 2024

If you’re thinking of playing slot machines – whether at online casinos or a mechanical slot machine at land-based casinos – then you may have heard about playing and being able to “cheat” these machines.

The reality is, to cheat a slot machine, you need to create an ILLEGAL piece of software – and pray you don’t get caught. What’s more, if you’re looking for electronic slot machine cheats, you should be aware that it’s virtually impossible to do so.

The ONLY time players have succeeded in cheating slot machines is when playing a non-electronic slot machine on the casino floor. These old coin slot machines could sometimes be manipulated – but it’s rare. On this page, we’re going to show you some interesting cases where players did cheat slot machines – and we’re also going to show you why any “betting systems’ ‘ you hear about simply don’t work.

How Players Have Cheated Slot Machines

Unless you have access to state-of-the-art technology or are one of the best hackers in the world and can hack into the servers of a casino game, it’s virtually impossible to cheat on a slot machine. However, back in the days when mechanical slot games were widely available, cheating was a lot easier – and there were several intuitive ways that fraudsters used to defraud casinos out of millions of dollars.

Throughout gambling history, slot cheats have walked away with vast amounts of cash – and while here at Casinomeister, we do not condone cheating in any way, shape, or form – it can be pretty interesting to read about how some of these cheats worked, and how players were able to walk away with so much money.

Below, we’ll be looking at some of the ways that fraudsters have managed to cheat casinos out of money. Please note, don’t try any of these for yourself; if you do and are caught, you will likely be arrested and probably face criminal charges.

Coin on a String

The coin-on-a-string method is one of the most simplistic and primitive forms of cheating slot machines – and the developers of slot games soon caught on and worked in mechanisms to stop this way of cheating.

However, when mechanical slot machines were widely available, some fraudsters managed to defraud casinos and arcades out of a lot of money using the simple coin on a string trick. This method is as simple as it sounds, and fraudsters simply needed to tie a piece of string around a coin, insert it into the slot so that a spin was triggered, and then pull the coin back out so they could, essentially, use it an unlimited number of times.

This allowed the fraudster to play the game for free, and any time they managed to hit a win, they were paid out accordingly; of course, when they had a losing spin, they simply didn’t need to pay any money for it – so they were getting away with something for nothing. However, law enforcement and developers soon caught on to this, and they started to build mechanisms that allowed coins to be dropped into the machine but not pulled out. This soon put a stop to the practice, and today, it’s virtually unheard of to hear about players getting away with this type of cheat.

The Monkey Paw

The monkey paw was an incredible technological masterpiece created by a man called Tommy Glenn Carmichael. He attached a guitar string to a metal wand, and this one was then inserted into the air vent of the slot machine. Doing so could trigger the microswitch inside it and manipulate the game to award him an instant payout.

Carmichael successfully used this trick to steal tens of thousands of dollars – although he was eventually caught, albeit 40 years later. Again, this type of slot cheat is no longer feasible as developers use electronic software to generate the game’s result rather than a physical switch.

The Magnetic Field

In the 1950s and 60s, slot machines did not have any forms of protection against magnets. This allowed fraudsters to rig machines using magnets if they had the technological capabilities to be able to do it in the right way. For example, one of the ways that fraudsters managed to cheat slot machines using magnets was to make the mechanical reels spin freely rather than stopping at a random point as they usually worked after the spin button was pressed.

This allowed the fraudsters to effectively choose precisely when and where they wanted the symbols to stop – and they essentially could enter into a so-called God mode when playing the game. Of course, slot machines no longer rely on physical, mechanical reels today, and using and abusing a magnetic field to cheat a slot machine is no longer possible.

Some Successful Cheats Were Possible Back in the Day

While it’s true that some were able to scam land-based casinos back in the day, since slot machine games today are played mainly online, it’s become much harder. One of the last reports of successful slot machine scams was published in 1995 – and here’s what the Associated Press released that day:

“Casinos around the country and in the Bahamas were cheated out of millions of dollars by 12 conspirators in a slot-machine scam.

Gaming Commission officers arrested nine people last week at three Gulf Coast casinos and a hotel. Investigators confiscated cheating devices, illegal tokens, drugs and $3,000 in cash.

Three other people who were involved in the ring were arrested in February. The conspirators had operated for at least five years, authorities said Monday.

The cheaters worked as a team, playing $1, $5 and $25 slot machines, said Jay Ledbetter, enforcement director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission. One person would insert a homemade device into a slot machine to make it pay off while a partner obstructed the view of surveillance cameras, and a third person was watching for security guards.

Those arrested each face up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine on charges of cheating or conspiracy to cheat. Authorities were led to the suspects by a tip.”

Betting Systems: Why They Don’t Work with Slot Machines

Betting systems have existed since – pretty much the day casino games were created – and as long as casinos continue to be popular, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see the end of betting systems.

While we’ve already covered some of the ways players have managed to “cheat” slot machines, we’re now looking at another form of cheating – although, in reality, it’s not cheating, as these systems don’t work.

If you think you can simply use any of these cheats on a slot machine – on the casino floor or at online casinos – think again. Today, when a slot machine forms a winning combination, it’s done all electronically; you simply cannot hack slot machines like you could in the past, and any electronic slot machine cheats that you read about online are always scams – trying to convince you to pay money to “access” the cheats when in reality, you’re just buying into a garbage system.

What Is A Betting System?

A betting system is a method used by gamblers to try and ‘beat the casino’. Some systems can be advertised as ‘lowering the house edge, while others claim to exploit ‘little-known loopholes’ – and while the sellers of such systems always try to come up with creative new ways to market them, essentially all systems have one thing in common; they promise to be able to make you a profitable gambler if you follow the system.

Now, betting systems vary quite a bit, and the betting strategies outlined within them are also very different. However, one thing that tends to be a common factor is that most betting systems rely on even-money bets. We’ll look more at this later when discussing specific betting systems.

While betting systems can sound great – at first – it’s important to remember that casinos are in business for a reason. The games they offer have been proven over hundreds of billions of spins/hands – and the sole reason they’re still offered at casinos is that they provide a house edge to the casino.

Interestingly, despite being presented with this evidence (and despite seeing first-hand that betting systems do NOT work), many gamblers continue to believe that they will one day beat the casinos with the help of a betting system – and one of the most significant contributors for this is what’s known as Gambler’s Fallacy.

Gambler’s Fallacy

Gambler’s fallacy is – at its most basic – very simple to understand, and it all revolves around the idea that because a specific event hasn’t happened in a while, that event becomes more likely.

An excellent example of how this works is by flipping a coin. Let’s say you choose tails and flip a coin – and it lands heads; OK, not a big deal, you flip again. Now, imagine it landed heads ten times in a row. You’d probably be a little surprised – and you might find yourself saying, ‘ it’s got to come in this time.

In your head – even subconsciously – you’re beginning to think that it’s more likely that tails will land- despite a 50/50 shot of both results. Another way of looking at it…

The coin doesn’t have a memory. Each time it’s flipped, it ‘resets’, so regardless of the previous result, there’s an exact 50/50 chance of each result coming in.

An excellent example of where many of us will experience gambler’s fallacy – to a small extent – is when playing Roulette. Say a color has dropped four or five times consecutively; you may well find yourself having a small bet on the other color, thinking it’s only a matter of time before it lands – and this is even though, mathematically, the odds of the following color is red/black are identical.

This same train of thought can lead players towards betting systems, which are designed explicitly to prey on this mindset.

Below, we’ll cover some of the most popular betting systems – and you may have seen them before (or even tried them yourself!)

Popular Betting Systems and Strategies

The Martingale – Not Widely used on a Slot Machine 

The Martingale is – by far – the most popular and commonly-used betting strategy in the world. You’ll find this system all over the internet, with many players claiming it’s the ‘only betting system to work.’

The Martingale system relies on a player using even-money bets – for instance, betting on red/black colors on Roulette – and the basics of the system are that you simply begin playing one of these even-money bets and double up your stake if the bet is a loser. You continue doubling your bets until the bet comes in, at which point you restart the system and begin on the lower betting amount.

In principle, the Martingale doesn’t sound like a particularly unrealistic system. You simply double up your bets each time you lose, and when it comes in, you’re in profit, and you begin the process again. Sounds easy, right?

Unfortunately, there are a couple of complications to bear in mind. First of all, all Roulette, Blackjack and Craps tables have betting limits. This means you can’t bet more than a certain amount per spin. For example, if you were playing a $5-500 Roulette table, the minimum bet accepted is $5, and the maximum bet allowed is $5. So, while you could use the Martingale system, if you needed to bet above $500, you wouldn’t be able to – rendering the system pointless.

Similarly, long losing runs in gambling are not unheard of – indeed, they’re not even uncommon – and there’s a good chance that you’ll run out of money using the Martingale system before you’ve had a chance to recoup your losses and make a profit.

The D’Alembert System

The D’Alembert System is one of the more brutal betting systems – designed for Roulette – and while it’s nowhere near as well-known as the Martingale, it’s beginning to become more prevalent given the rise in popularity of online gambling.

The system is relatively easy to follow; you simply begin by betting on a unit you’re comfortable with. If you lose, you increase your bet by one unit. If your bet wins, you decrease your bet by one unit.

This process continues until you are back at your starting unit size, and once this happens, you’ll be ‘in profit’ by your original unit size.

It’s relatively simple to understand, but we’re not going to get into the specifics of the system here, as it’s simply not suitable to promote the system. It doesn’t work, and the major problem with it is that you need to get more wins than losses, which is clearly not going to happen in the long run.

Also, like the Martingale system, a small number of consecutive losses can lead to you needing to place massive bets to recoup losses – and using this system, you can quite easily blow your entire bankroll in a matter of minutes, as is the case with most betting systems.

Reverse D’Alembert

As you can probably gather from the name, the Reverse D’Alembert is a reverse of the D’Alembert we just covered. Instead of increasing your bet after a loss, you decrease it – and, after a win, you increase it.

The Reverse D’Alembert typically requires you to start with a higher betting unit than the non-reverse system. An initial losing streak would mean you couldn’t follow the required betting strategy unless you had the bankroll to cover it.

Labouchere System – Not Possible to Use on a Slot Game 

The Labouchere is one of the most popular betting systems, and it’s becoming increasingly popular, with detailed internet guides and videos showing how it works and how it can supposedly be used to ‘profit from casino games.

Similar to the Martingale system, the Labouchere uses even money betting at its core, and it all begins with the player setting themselves up what’s known as a betting line. It’s this betting line that determines the size of the bet each spin/hand, and below, you can see an example of what a betting line looks like:

1, 2, 1, 3, 1, 5, 2

To begin using the system, you would take the left-most number (the 1) and the right-most number (the 2) and add them together. This is the amount you would bet, so, in this case, it would be 3. This is the number of units you stake.

If the bet is a winner, these numbers are crossed out. If the bet loses, the numbers are added together on top of the original two numbers. This continues until a win occurs.

Like Martingale, the Labourchere is seriously flawed. At the same time, it is possible to use the system in the brief term to generate small profits occasionally; table limits and bankroll restrictions will soon ensure that you’re unable to continue using it if you get a few consecutive losses.

Stay Away From Betting Systems – You Can’t Manipulate Slot Machines!

Say that phrase over and over until it’s solidified in your head! Every day you’ll see stories of people who thought they’d found the ‘perfect betting system’ – only to find that it quickly ate up all of their funds and didn’t work as expected.

Casinos are in business for a reason; their games produce a consistent profit. While it is possible to win at casino games occasionally, in the long run, you’ll always lose – and this does NOT change with a betting system.

Instead of using a betting system, you’re far better off reading about the game and understanding the best and worst bets. For example, if you’re playing Blackjack, having a good understanding of the best mathematical strategy can significantly lower the house edge – and while this doesn’t give you an edge over the casino, it does allow you to play the game in the most mathematically correct fashion.

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