Slot machines have long been a staple of casinos around the world, offering players the chance to win big and experience the thrill of chance. However, behind the glitz and glamour, there's a darker side to slot machines - one that involves cheating.

From rigged codes to shaved coins, fake money, and even magnets, cheaters have used various tactics to manipulate slot machines over the years. In this article, we'll explore 12 sneaky ways to cheat at slots, including some infamous cases of slot machine fraud.

1. Cheat Code

One of the most well-known cases of slot machine cheating involved engineer Ronald Dale Harris, who knew how to manipulate a slot machine's code for his own advantage. For years, he cheated machines by knowing the source codes, but it wasn't until his partner won $100,000 on a keno game in 1995 that the scam was discovered.

2. Shaved Coins

This scam may not exist today, but it's still interesting to know about. In the past, some slot machines used a light sensor to register payment, which meant that if a shaved coin was sent down at the same time as an object that matched the shape and size of the required stake coin, the shaved coin would be returned while the other object would land in the machine and start play.

3. Fake Coins

Another method of slots cheating involved the use of fake coins. Con artist Louis "The Coin" Colavecchio used fake coins to scam casinos for years until his arrest in 1998. He was released in 2006 and quickly restarted his cheating, but it wasn't long before he was caught again.

4. Magnet

One common method of cheating at slots involved the use of a magnet. On older machines made of metal, cheaters could spin the reels and then use a strong magnet on the outside of the machine to stop them spinning when they saw their winning combination. The cheat would then remove the magnet and claim the payout.

5. Yo-Yo

This slots cheat involved a string attached to a coin, which was sent into the machine's coin chute. The top of the string was then pulled out, allowing the cheat to retrieve the coins without having to insert any more money.

6. Top-Bottom Joint

This is one of the most cunning methods of cheating at slots and was popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Cheats used a special tool that was split into two parts - a top (a metal rod with its end bent in the shape of a "q") and a bottom (a long wire). By putting the bottom in through the coin chute and the top through the coin slot, cheats could jam the machine and force it to release all the coins it had stored.

7. Monkey Paw

Dennis Nikrasch changed the slots cheating game with this idea. He worked out that the computer chips inside slot machines could be re-programmed to manipulate the machines into paying out jackpots on tap. Nikrasch ordered a load of these chips, hired a team of scammers, and started a reign of scamming that would bleed casinos dry for years.

8. Bill Validator Device

This is a simple yet very effective slots cheat. Cheats use a device that wraps around a bill to fool the slot machine into thinking it's accepting a $100 bill when in reality it's just accepting a humble $1 bill.

9. Computer Chip Replacement

Dennis Nikrasch also worked out that computer chips could be replaced with manipulated ones, allowing cheats to program the machines to pay out jackpots at will.

10. Software Glitch

Software glitches have been exploited by cheats for decades. By playing a certain pattern of stakes and games, players can confuse the machine and trigger a glitch that pays out the jackpot.

In recent years, we've seen some high-profile cases of slot machine fraud, including one in 2015 when 90-year-old grandmother Pauline McKee from Illinois won $41 million on a Miss Kitty slot machine at the Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo. Unfortunately, her final appeal was rejected three years later, and she lost her winnings.

While these examples are certainly shocking, they also highlight the importance of ensuring that slot machines are secure and fair. Casinos have taken steps to prevent cheating, including implementing stricter security measures and using advanced technology to monitor gameplay. However, it's clear that there will always be those who try to find ways around these measures, making it essential for casinos to stay one step ahead., while cheating at slot machines may seem like a tempting option for some, the risks are far outweighed by the consequences. For those who do choose to cheat, they should know that the law is always on the side of the casino, and punishments can be severe.