Brief Communication Beating the Fruit Machine: Systems and Ploys both Legal and Illegal
If there is a system to beat, someone, somewhere will want to beat it. Fruit machines (by definition) are therefore no exception. This short paper examines the role and forms of beating the fruit machine, both legal and illegal. The sources it relies on are few (since there is little in the way of an established literature), but integrates anecdotal type findings from observational studies with information gained from 'bandit beaters' (almost exclusively males aged between 16 and 25 years) who use 'underground' leaflets and booklets, and information collected in the period 1987-1991 by the author who was undergoing an extensive study of fruit machine gambling in adolescence (Griffiths, 199 la). Publications used by 'bandit beaters' are usually unofficial, anonymously written and can be obtained through classified advertisements in various magazines (e.g. humorous and satirical magazines such as Private Eye, Viz, Zit etc.). According to players, they usually contain little information but give themselves authoritative titles which are quite misleading. For instance, "How to beat the fruit machine" (no author), "Jackpot! The Bible" (no author), "Beat the Bandit" (no author) etc. An analysis of the ways of beating fruit machines by the 'bandit beaters' reveals that beating the machine usually falls into three
Requests for reprints should be addressed to Dr. Mark Griffiths, Psychology Department, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, UK, PL4 8AA.
Journal of Gambling Studies Vol. 10(3), Fall 1994 9 1994 Human Sciences Press, Inc.
287
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JOURNAL OF GAMBLING STUDIES
categories. These are 'credit mechanism fraud,' 'coin fraud' and 'systems.' It should also be mentioned that the first two of these categories are illegal methods whereas the latter category is legal.
CREDIT MECHANISM FRAUD W h e n a gambler inserts a coin into a fruit machine, the machine will usually display the number of credits the gambler has. For example, if a gambler puts in a pound coin into a machine which is twenty pence a go, the number of credits displayed will be five. This has led to a number of people trying to find ways to get themselves free credits without the insertion of coins. All the following examples allegedly involve ways of defrauding the 'credit' mechanism in fruit machines. 'Strimming' was one of the first methods of credit mechanism fraud. Machines were fitted with the 'design coin mechanism' which was a device that decided if the coin a player inserted was valid. A number of players soon realised that a piece of plastic cord (designed to fit on a U K Strimmer type grass cutter) could be strategically placed down the coin slot, thus generating free credits. It did not take long for manufacturers to discover such a practice. This led to devices that could determine the weight and composition of the inserted coin thus preventing the practice of strimming. However, these new devices were not foolproof. It was not long before the introduction of 'Coinmaster,' a small battery operated device which when switched on had the effect of temporarily interrupting the machine's electrical supply causing a sudden upturn in voltage and causing the machine to give out free credits. Some people also discovered the same thing occurred with a peizo crystal device (e. g. an electronic gas cooker lighter with the end removed). W h e n used with the 'live' end in the proximity of a fruit machine's coin slot it produces free credits. This is because any form of electricity seeks the shortest route to earth which on m a n y machines is through the coin mechanism. The machine "thinks" it has been paid as the electrical spark passes down the coin slot and past the coin gate to earth. Static electricity also has the same effect. Some players have realized that if the amusement arcade has a nylon carpet, they can shuffle about on it causing a build up of static electricity. As with the lighter, if they touch the coin slot after a build up of static, they can cause the machine to give them free credits.
MARK GRIFFITHS
289
The gaming industry's response was to install fruit machines with an electrical capacitor which absorbed any sudden increase in voltage thus preventing free credits being obtained. However, the fraudsters were not to be beat. The next device to come to their aid was the ~R.F. Jammer' which like 'Coinmaster'was a little battery operated device. The RFJ emitted a radio signal with an audio 'squeal' which sent the fruit machines' electronics haywire and resulted in unlimited free credits. The gaming industry's eventual answer was to fit a ferrite ring around the main central processing unit thus preventing external interference from electrical signals.
COIN F R A U D
Since the introduction of slot machines, gamblers have inserted a variety of coins and coin-like objects (low denomination coins, foreign coins, tap washers, metal tokens etc.) in the hope that they might get a credit to play on the chosen slot machine. O n the whole these simply do not work because the machine checks the coin for size, weight and composition. However, a few ploys to deceive the machine have emerged. The examples of coin fraud outlined below all stem from the U K and as such, all the coins mentioned are British unless otherwise stated: (1) According to 'bandit beaters,' one of the most common types of coin fraud is to wrap aluminum foil around a ten pence piece. This is known as 'potting.' If done correctly the machine is apparently fooled into thinking it is a fifty pence piece. The explanation given is that excess aluminum registers the inserted coin as a fifty pence piece on size, weight and composition. However, players report that this is very difficult to achieve. The problem is that the amount of foil used and way the foil is folded have a direct bearing on whether the ten pence will be mistaken by the machine for a fifty pence piece. According to some 'underground' leaflets, a ten pence piece wrapped in a 2.5 inch square piece of foil is enough for fooling the machine. Other similarly reported practices involve wrapping insulation tape around the edges of ten pence pieces to give it a similar weight to a fifty pence. Although this is a potential problem for the U K gaming industry, the number of
290
JOURNAL OF GAMBLING STUDIES
successful instances of this form of coin fraud according to the players is probably quite low. (2) A second type of coin fraud that has been reported involves the use of an old five pence piece and a one pence piece. Players who read the 'underground' publications report that if a one pence and a five pence coins are glued together, followed by drilling a hole through the centre of the glued coins the machine mistakes this combination of coins for a pound coin. However, there are a n u m b e r of considerations. According to players this is (i) fairly time consuming, (ii) the five pence coins are now out of circulation and difficult to get (although there are apparently plenty of foreign coins which are the same size, weight and composition as a five pence piece) and (iii) defacing coins of the realm is illegal. It is highly unlikely the U K gaming industry is too concerned about this particular form of coin fraud. (3) It has been noted by at least one underground publication that Swaziland has a coin (made by the U K Royal Mint) that is the same size, weight and composition as a pound coin and that its exchange rate is only twenty pence. However, there is difficulty in getting the coins because banks will not supply coinage - only paper money. Coin fraud in this case will only become a problem for the U K gaming industry if someone finds a regular way (legal or illegal) of getting large numbers of these coins into the U K .
SYSTEMS: G E N U I N E A D V I C E A N D T I P S ON H O W TO BEAT THE MACHINE
According to the 'bandit beaters,' most of the leaflets and manuals which give advice on how to get the most from a fruit machine concern themselves with fraudulent (illegal) measures like the ones above. However, some of them do give genuine advice such as the display of reel designs from popular machines. Knowing the reels is useful on a fruit machine when the "nudge" feature comes into play. This enables players who know reel positions to move stationary non-winning symbols into winning positions after automatic play is over (see Griffiths, 1990, for a glossary of fruit machine playing terms). Some players also advocate that they have managed to win on machines due to a system called the "winning loop." The general philosophy behind any system of winning is that fruit machines are
MARK GRIFFITHS
291
programmed by humans and therefore the machines rely on its punters to think like the person who designed the machine. A winning loop apparently occurs if the player gambling on the machine does not use the 'gamble' button at any time during the play sequence even if it appears stupid not to. Apparently the machine has been programmed to induce the player into going down certain routes and if the player does not go down these prescribed routes the machine gets "confused" and goes into a continuous pay out cycle. However, evidence that such a system works appears to be limited.
BEATING THE MACHINE: OTHER MISCELLANEOUS PLOYS Griffiths (199 l b) reported in his observational study of adolescent gambling in U K amusement arcades that the motivation of a small minority of players was either to 'beat the machine' or 'beat the system.' He reported that this could be achieved in any way possible, including cheating (termed by players as 'fiddling' and 'strimming'). Such activities included putting broken coat hanger wire up through the pay out slots of 'coinpushers' to knock down overhanging coins, or squirting jets of water into the pay out slots (apparently causing a short circuit) which sometimes caused automatic pay out on the machine. Since there are no rules of play on any of the machines, players would also 'sell their expertise' to less experienced players by showing them 'how to play.'
CONCLUDING COMMENT There is no doubt that attempts to beat fruit machines do occur although evidence as to whether such practices actually result in extra winnings appears to be limited. Comments by regular players appear to suggest such publications are of little or no use and that cheating produces little in the way of extra money for the gambler. The fact that there are no rules of play on fruit machines may provide one reason why there seem to be a lot of underground "Beat the Machine" type publications proliferating in the U K at the moment, although most people would perhaps like to think they can get "something for nothing"
292
JOURNAL OF GAMBLING STUDIES
and would buy them even if there were rules on the machines. The area of beating (and cheating) the fruit machine has been little explored empirically and is perhaps an area that would benefit from further research.
REFERENCES Griffiths, M.D. (1990). The cognitive psychology of gambling, ffournal of Gambling Studies, 6, 3140. Griffiths, M.D. (1991a). The acquisition, development, and maintenance of fruit machine gambling in adolescence. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Exeter. Griffiths, M.D. (1991b). The observational analysis of adolescent gambling in U K amusement arcades. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 1, 309-320.
Mark G~iffit~ Ph D
Psychology Department University of Plymouth, U.K.
If there is a system to beat, someone, somewhere will want to beat it. Fruit machines (by definition) are therefore no exception. This short paper examines the role and forms of beating the fruit machine, both legal and illegal. The sources it relies on are few (since there is little in the way of an established literature), but integrates anecdotal type findings from observational studies with information gained from 'bandit beaters' (almost exclusively males aged between 16 and 25 years) who use 'underground' leaflets and booklets, and information collected in the period 1987-1991 by the author who was undergoing an extensive study of fruit machine gambling in adolescence (Griffiths, 199 la). Publications used by 'bandit beaters' are usually unofficial, anonymously written and can be obtained through classified advertisements in various magazines (e.g. humorous and satirical magazines such as Private Eye, Viz, Zit etc.). According to players, they usually contain little information but give themselves authoritative titles which are quite misleading. For instance, "How to beat the fruit machine" (no author), "Jackpot! The Bible" (no author), "Beat the Bandit" (no author) etc. An analysis of the ways of beating fruit machines by the 'bandit beaters' reveals that beating the machine usually falls into three
Requests for reprints should be addressed to Dr. Mark Griffiths, Psychology Department, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, UK, PL4 8AA.
Journal of Gambling Studies Vol. 10(3), Fall 1994 9 1994 Human Sciences Press, Inc.
287
288
JOURNAL OF GAMBLING STUDIES
categories. These are 'credit mechanism fraud,' 'coin fraud' and 'systems.' It should also be mentioned that the first two of these categories are illegal methods whereas the latter category is legal.
CREDIT MECHANISM FRAUD W h e n a gambler inserts a coin into a fruit machine, the machine will usually display the number of credits the gambler has. For example, if a gambler puts in a pound coin into a machine which is twenty pence a go, the number of credits displayed will be five. This has led to a number of people trying to find ways to get themselves free credits without the insertion of coins. All the following examples allegedly involve ways of defrauding the 'credit' mechanism in fruit machines. 'Strimming' was one of the first methods of credit mechanism fraud. Machines were fitted with the 'design coin mechanism' which was a device that decided if the coin a player inserted was valid. A number of players soon realised that a piece of plastic cord (designed to fit on a U K Strimmer type grass cutter) could be strategically placed down the coin slot, thus generating free credits. It did not take long for manufacturers to discover such a practice. This led to devices that could determine the weight and composition of the inserted coin thus preventing the practice of strimming. However, these new devices were not foolproof. It was not long before the introduction of 'Coinmaster,' a small battery operated device which when switched on had the effect of temporarily interrupting the machine's electrical supply causing a sudden upturn in voltage and causing the machine to give out free credits. Some people also discovered the same thing occurred with a peizo crystal device (e. g. an electronic gas cooker lighter with the end removed). W h e n used with the 'live' end in the proximity of a fruit machine's coin slot it produces free credits. This is because any form of electricity seeks the shortest route to earth which on m a n y machines is through the coin mechanism. The machine "thinks" it has been paid as the electrical spark passes down the coin slot and past the coin gate to earth. Static electricity also has the same effect. Some players have realized that if the amusement arcade has a nylon carpet, they can shuffle about on it causing a build up of static electricity. As with the lighter, if they touch the coin slot after a build up of static, they can cause the machine to give them free credits.
MARK GRIFFITHS
289
The gaming industry's response was to install fruit machines with an electrical capacitor which absorbed any sudden increase in voltage thus preventing free credits being obtained. However, the fraudsters were not to be beat. The next device to come to their aid was the ~R.F. Jammer' which like 'Coinmaster'was a little battery operated device. The RFJ emitted a radio signal with an audio 'squeal' which sent the fruit machines' electronics haywire and resulted in unlimited free credits. The gaming industry's eventual answer was to fit a ferrite ring around the main central processing unit thus preventing external interference from electrical signals.
COIN F R A U D
Since the introduction of slot machines, gamblers have inserted a variety of coins and coin-like objects (low denomination coins, foreign coins, tap washers, metal tokens etc.) in the hope that they might get a credit to play on the chosen slot machine. O n the whole these simply do not work because the machine checks the coin for size, weight and composition. However, a few ploys to deceive the machine have emerged. The examples of coin fraud outlined below all stem from the U K and as such, all the coins mentioned are British unless otherwise stated: (1) According to 'bandit beaters,' one of the most common types of coin fraud is to wrap aluminum foil around a ten pence piece. This is known as 'potting.' If done correctly the machine is apparently fooled into thinking it is a fifty pence piece. The explanation given is that excess aluminum registers the inserted coin as a fifty pence piece on size, weight and composition. However, players report that this is very difficult to achieve. The problem is that the amount of foil used and way the foil is folded have a direct bearing on whether the ten pence will be mistaken by the machine for a fifty pence piece. According to some 'underground' leaflets, a ten pence piece wrapped in a 2.5 inch square piece of foil is enough for fooling the machine. Other similarly reported practices involve wrapping insulation tape around the edges of ten pence pieces to give it a similar weight to a fifty pence. Although this is a potential problem for the U K gaming industry, the number of
290
JOURNAL OF GAMBLING STUDIES
successful instances of this form of coin fraud according to the players is probably quite low. (2) A second type of coin fraud that has been reported involves the use of an old five pence piece and a one pence piece. Players who read the 'underground' publications report that if a one pence and a five pence coins are glued together, followed by drilling a hole through the centre of the glued coins the machine mistakes this combination of coins for a pound coin. However, there are a n u m b e r of considerations. According to players this is (i) fairly time consuming, (ii) the five pence coins are now out of circulation and difficult to get (although there are apparently plenty of foreign coins which are the same size, weight and composition as a five pence piece) and (iii) defacing coins of the realm is illegal. It is highly unlikely the U K gaming industry is too concerned about this particular form of coin fraud. (3) It has been noted by at least one underground publication that Swaziland has a coin (made by the U K Royal Mint) that is the same size, weight and composition as a pound coin and that its exchange rate is only twenty pence. However, there is difficulty in getting the coins because banks will not supply coinage - only paper money. Coin fraud in this case will only become a problem for the U K gaming industry if someone finds a regular way (legal or illegal) of getting large numbers of these coins into the U K .
SYSTEMS: G E N U I N E A D V I C E A N D T I P S ON H O W TO BEAT THE MACHINE
According to the 'bandit beaters,' most of the leaflets and manuals which give advice on how to get the most from a fruit machine concern themselves with fraudulent (illegal) measures like the ones above. However, some of them do give genuine advice such as the display of reel designs from popular machines. Knowing the reels is useful on a fruit machine when the "nudge" feature comes into play. This enables players who know reel positions to move stationary non-winning symbols into winning positions after automatic play is over (see Griffiths, 1990, for a glossary of fruit machine playing terms). Some players also advocate that they have managed to win on machines due to a system called the "winning loop." The general philosophy behind any system of winning is that fruit machines are
MARK GRIFFITHS
291
programmed by humans and therefore the machines rely on its punters to think like the person who designed the machine. A winning loop apparently occurs if the player gambling on the machine does not use the 'gamble' button at any time during the play sequence even if it appears stupid not to. Apparently the machine has been programmed to induce the player into going down certain routes and if the player does not go down these prescribed routes the machine gets "confused" and goes into a continuous pay out cycle. However, evidence that such a system works appears to be limited.
BEATING THE MACHINE: OTHER MISCELLANEOUS PLOYS Griffiths (199 l b) reported in his observational study of adolescent gambling in U K amusement arcades that the motivation of a small minority of players was either to 'beat the machine' or 'beat the system.' He reported that this could be achieved in any way possible, including cheating (termed by players as 'fiddling' and 'strimming'). Such activities included putting broken coat hanger wire up through the pay out slots of 'coinpushers' to knock down overhanging coins, or squirting jets of water into the pay out slots (apparently causing a short circuit) which sometimes caused automatic pay out on the machine. Since there are no rules of play on any of the machines, players would also 'sell their expertise' to less experienced players by showing them 'how to play.'
CONCLUDING COMMENT There is no doubt that attempts to beat fruit machines do occur although evidence as to whether such practices actually result in extra winnings appears to be limited. Comments by regular players appear to suggest such publications are of little or no use and that cheating produces little in the way of extra money for the gambler. The fact that there are no rules of play on fruit machines may provide one reason why there seem to be a lot of underground "Beat the Machine" type publications proliferating in the U K at the moment, although most people would perhaps like to think they can get "something for nothing"
292
JOURNAL OF GAMBLING STUDIES
and would buy them even if there were rules on the machines. The area of beating (and cheating) the fruit machine has been little explored empirically and is perhaps an area that would benefit from further research.
REFERENCES Griffiths, M.D. (1990). The cognitive psychology of gambling, ffournal of Gambling Studies, 6, 3140. Griffiths, M.D. (1991a). The acquisition, development, and maintenance of fruit machine gambling in adolescence. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Exeter. Griffiths, M.D. (1991b). The observational analysis of adolescent gambling in U K amusement arcades. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 1, 309-320.
Mark G~iffit~ Ph D
Psychology Department University of Plymouth, U.K.
