Programming Gaffs
Now this cheat is beyond the ability of the everyday cheat. To be able to pull this cheat off you must either work for a slot machine vendor or know someone who does that you can convince to help you out. A Programming Gaff is special code that is inserted into the programming of a slot machine that when a certain specific set of actions is taken it is activated and rigs the slot machine to hit the jackpot and payout.The difficulties in pulling this off are obvious. First off getting the programming done to pull this off is going to require considerable skill, getting a job that your work will not be inspected at a slot vendor maybe next to impossible and then having the code go undetected by technician and other programmers during updates and maintenance. Despite these obstacles it has not stopped people from trying to insert nefarious code into slot machines programming.
A good example of a programming Gaff is that of Ron Harris who was an employee of the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Ron was able to use his position as a computer programmer with the Nevada Gaming Control Board to insert some Gaff Programming into slot machines. Ron was able to do this by inserting the Gaff code into a device used by Gaming Control Board Employees to check that slot machines are functioning properly. When the device was connected to a certain type of slot machine the code was uploaded and the machine was ready to be cheated. Harris then recruited friends to visit these machines and when a set series of coin bets was made the Gaff program was activated and the slot machine paid out a jackpot. Because this team was very careful about how often, and how much they stole (hitting only about a half dozen machines out of 34 rigged machines) they were able to keep the scam going for 4 years before Harris was caught with an accomplice when he won a $100,000 Jackpot in Atlantic City.