Comment from Wm on 2017-02-08
Having lived in Las Vegas in the 80's for a few years, and hearing and reading about how the casinos have cheated people out of money for decades, this kind of story only gives me delightful thoughts...
View ArticleComment from Slime Mold with Mustard on 2017-02-08
I have only been in one casino in the last decade, but every machine had a plaque "Use of cell phones prohibited during play".
View ArticleComment from Phillip Reed on 2017-02-08
...every machine had a plaque "Use of cell phones prohibited during play"... Low-profile Google Glasses.
View ArticleComment from Clive Robinson on 2017-02-08
@ Bruce, The easy solution is to use a random-number generator that accepts local entropy, like Fortuna. That may not be possible due to the way the legislation and gaming rules are written in various...
View ArticleComment from Brian on 2017-02-08
The case of John Kane and Andre Nestor successfully cheating makes for interesting reading. It's possible that the courts won't consider successfully predicting the RNG to be illegal.
View ArticleComment from Braindope on 2017-02-08
You know what Vegas casinos say about people with a system? Welcome!
View ArticleComment from M. Welinder on 2017-02-08
What's the crime here? (To the law, that is. To the casinos it's winning, of course.) Is it just the use of a device while playing?
View ArticleComment from Tatütata on 2017-02-08
Even if the authorities prescribe the PRNG, why couldn't it still be stepped with genuine physical randomness with a slow variation in time?
View ArticleComment from Lawrence D’Oliveiro on 2017-02-08
What kind of game is it where any attempt to improve the odds in your favour is considered “cheating”? A mug’s game.
View ArticleComment from Jeremy on 2017-02-08
The article repeatedly describes this as a "scam." But the term "scam" normally refers to swindling someone through deception. Who is being deceived? The slot machine? This might be described as a...
View ArticleComment from albert on 2017-02-08
Viva Las Vegas! At least they don't take you to the alley and break your knuckles, like they did in the old days. Yes, @Wm, it's karma at work. Do you know the house advantage for a roulette table? In...
View ArticleComment from Fred P on 2017-02-08
@Clive Robinson - are you aware of any jurisdictions that require determinism in slot or lottery machines? At least in the sub-industry I worked in (video lottery machines), non-determinism was...
View ArticleComment from r on 2017-02-08
I think what Fred P says makes the most sense, it's definitely in the both the casino's and the manufacturer's interest to not fumble the ball when they're so close to the in-zone. I can't see any...
View ArticleComment from Peter Gerdes on 2017-02-08
Based on the description it seems the slot machines are ALREADY using local information in selecting their random number, the time. Sure, they may not be seeding the PRNG with time data but if they...
View ArticleComment from Pet on 2017-02-08
@D’Oliveiro and @Welinder In Vegas, to casinos, to win is a crime and cheating.
View ArticleComment from Nick P on 2017-02-08
"On another issue I don't see how this is illegal in any way (is there any law against this?) so why not use this on the huge jackpot slots with the understanding that you'll be banned after a win?"...
View ArticleComment from Wael on 2017-02-08
@Nick P, Is it actually illegal to cheat casino games with electronic methods? Of course it is! Punishable by prison sentence too! Ask the early pioneers like Kieth Taft. I trust you'll find s free...
View ArticleComment from ab praeceptis on 2017-02-09
If I didn't get it wrong, the problem in that story isn't so much a lousy PRNG but a constellation far worse. Explanation: The *outcome* of the whole mechanism must not be truly random; in fact, it...
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