[Kyle Kroskey] just finished his first Arduino project, adding web control to a slot machine. He started with an IGT S+ model which were extremely popular in Vegas and Atlantic City casinos for years, but are now being replaced with more modern versions. His grand idea was to modify the machine so that it can be controlled from a PC, then unleash a live stream so that the Internets can play.
This turned out not to be too hard, there’s just a few controls he patched the Arduino into; the button for maxing out the wager amount, and sensors that measure coin inserts and payouts. In order to keep the peace he disconnected the speaker but rerouted the audio into a PC so that it can be played over the streaming feed. This make sure it’s quiet in the room without sacrificing the online fun. The PC is running Ubuntu and controls the video feed, a screen detailing jackpot data above the machine, and facilitates passing webpage player requests to the Arduino for machine control.
For another fun slot machine hack, check out this gaming device turned bartender.
I don’t understand, Why?
interesting! you could do some cool testing of machine randomness with this.
re-routing the audio is smart but… won’t it still be going “whrrrrrrrrrrrCHUNKrrrrrCHUNKrrrrrrCHUNK”?
@joe
To let people play it online? Especially placed where there are no slots/gambling.
@emilio
I’d imagine that sound really isn’t too bad. From what I recall a lot of the sound is added, even the stop sounds. That said, I’d probably put this in an isolated area if possible to reduce the bother that it could create.
Should rig the odds so it never pays off
@vtl: You mean moreso than they already are? ;)
You should implement a webcam for the players so they can watch each other waste away and destroy themselves
I was kinda hoping to see some pictures of the thing’s internals, not just a text writeup… Oh well.
No SAS communication?
“do some cool testing of machine randomness”
I read a couple of years back that people have already done this and figured out that the machines cheat. You can download fruit machine emulators that will run the real code from various machines, but which also allow you to save the state and go back, useful for looking at things like high/low gaambles, and surprise surprise the odds are fixed against you.
What’s more foolish than playing a slot machine?
Playing an unregulated slot machine over the net.
aww man I am recovering from a gambling addiction and this kind of crap doesn’t help. wee need to censor the internet more closely.
@DarkFader – Don’t have the software for the SAS protocol. It’s not easy to come by from what I have read
@emilio: Mostly what you end up hearing is the relays firing for the wheels – much better than the claw game we used to have in the window.
@ohgod: It’s up via Justin TV here: http://rocktheslot.com/
Where can I find the instructions on how to build this arduino controlled device. I just bought my first IGT S2000 slot machine yesterday and would like to be able to add credits to it remotely.