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Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Press Play with Madeleine Brand

How Hackers Exploited Video Poker Slots

Slot machines used to live on the margins of the gambling industry. One arm bandits sitting in the corners of casinos being played by old ladies. Not anymore. These days, the slots have been modernized by video game technology, and they bring in as much as 85 percent of gambling profits. And of course, no one wins against the slots.

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By Madeleine Brand • Oct 30, 2014 • 1 min read

Slot machines used to live on the margins of the gambling industry. One arm bandits sitting in the corners of casinos being played by old ladies. Not anymore. These days, the slots have been modernized by video game technology, and they bring in as much as 85 percent of gambling profits. And of course, no one wins against the slots. You might get an occasional jackpot, but in the long run, the fix is in. That is until two guys happened upon the holy grail of slot machine addicts: a bug in the most popular video poker machine in the country. And they raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars before getting caught.

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Madeleine Brand

    Host, 'Press Play'

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Andrew Walsh

    Too Beautiful to Live

  • KCRW placeholder

    Christian Bordal

    Managing Producer, Greater LA

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    Matt Holzman

    Producer, 'The Document'

  • KCRW placeholder

    Kevin Poulsen

    Wired

    News
Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand