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Server Based Slots of the Future

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the no-i-said-slots-i-promise dept.

prostoalex writes "The slot machines of the future won't be dumb one-armed bandits anymore, CNet reports. New generation of slot machines, to be deployed in major Vegas casinos, will feature server-based gaming with games, new features and, most important, the odds being downloaded from a central server location, not determined by internal machine algorithm any more."

8 of 190 comments (clear)

  1. Safe and secure! by Savantissimo · · Score: 5, Funny

    Some cynics here may doubt the security of the system, but I'm sure none of the gaming vendors will hide any Easter eggs in their proprietary code. After all, if one can make software work reliably for something as complicated as counting votes, surely a simple application like a few hundred different kinds of casino games should be child's play to secure.

    --
    "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?" - Patrick Henry
    1. Re:Safe and secure! by doormat · · Score: 4, Informative

      The code that runs the slot machines is REQUIRED to be inspected and approved by the Nevada Gaming Board (for vegas anyways). So yes, it'll be safe and secure.

      --
      The Doormat

      If you're not outraged, then you're not paying attention.
    2. Re:Safe and secure! by JohnnyLocust · · Score: 5, Informative

      The code that runs the slot machines is REQUIRED to be inspected and approved by the Nevada Gaming Board (for vegas anyways). So yes, it'll be safe and secure. . This hasn't stopped previous successful exploits on slot machines. http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/1998/Jan-10 -Sat-1998/news/6745681.html Las Vegas has a history of falling prey to the very same people they use to keep gaming secure. As with any secure system, the weakest link is always the human factor.

      --
      Havoc Video
    3. Re:Safe and secure! by EvilMidnightBomber · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Ok. I've written much of the system code for one of the big three slot manufacturers' boxes and actually had to go through the NGCB (Nevada) and GLI (Jersey) submission procedures. They do in fact inspect some of the code in great detail, particularly the random number generator and the process of using it to extract the final reel positions. This (c++) code is perhaps 2-300 lines out of about 15k. There is NO way they could secure this amount of code. Any software guy with a year of experience could hack something in that would look totally innocuous. RAM based pointers in completely different modules come to mind (not that I've thought about it much :) ). The NGCB/GLI process is really just a way for them to get copies of the code and say they did *something* to make the casino ops get a fuzzy warm feeling. What really keeps the software guys in check is simple math. Go into a casino and start winning on ANYTHING consistently and you WILL eventually be caught. You can't drop a stick of gum in these places without being taped from at least 3 angles, and both the slot itself and the central system it's hooked up to keep a very long gamelog. If you're stupid enough to make the machine jackpot, now they have your name (required for tax purposes). So perhaps you could make a few loose thousand without getting noticed but wind up risking all future employability. In addition, if word of the cheat goes public, you've just damaged your employer's reputation, and they can go after your ass financially for lost credibility. I hate to bow to "the man" but some things just aren't worth it.

  2. Improving the experience, sure by stefanb · · Score: 4, Insightful
    They won't have the ubiquitous spinning wheels of today's machines.

    Boy, when's the last time TFA's reporter has been to Las Vegas? My girlfriend and I had real trouble to find a machine that even took quarters, let alone being mechanical.

    "For instance, if on a Saturday night, they decide they'd like to change from a 94 percent pay table to a 90 percent table...right now it would take hours and hours to make that change. And now they'd be able to do that much more expeditiously."

    Ah, there we go! Just quickly change the odds behind the backs of the players so you can reek in more... and market it as "personalized" playing experience. There is no step two...

    I won't comment on the moronic reference to DoD encryption "to make it safe"...

  3. Official Slashdot Guide to Moderation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
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  4. How secure? by m50d · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Could you plug your own cable in and pretend to be the server? Not that I want to face casino security, but it's an interesting scenario.

    --
    I am trolling
    1. Re:How secure? by timeOday · · Score: 4, Funny
      Could you plug your own cable in and pretend to be the server?
      Brilliant! You could win Internet blackjack the same way! Slight problem: since you're now playing your own, isolated game, you have to pay off your winnings, to yourself. Fun!