Field guide

Kickstand

How it works

A slot cheating device used from the hopper (bottom) rather than the coin slot, designed to trick the machine into adding unauthorized credits or triggering payouts. A bent wire device is inserted through the hopper mechanism at the bottom of the machine. It holds internal levers open, causing the machine to continuously add credits or trigger payout cycles. The wire configuration varies by machine type, with approximately 50 different versions documented.

On the record

Confiscated devices have been donated to the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement (Mob Museum) in Las Vegas. Users frequently landed in Nevada’s “Black Book.”

Published as a detection reference for surveillance, compliance and gaming-operations professionals. Thresholds and tuning are set by the property. Nothing here is instruction — the method is described so it can be recognised.