Part III: Slot Machine Cheating · Physical Cheating Methods

SCAM #25: Altered TITO Ticket Fraud

How it works

While photocopied TITO tickets don’t work due to one-time barcodes, a variation can succeed if cashiers fail to verify properly. A cheat finds a valid but low-value discarded ticket (e.g., 1 cent), then alters the visible printed amount – using a computer to generate new graphics covering “1 cent” and “One Cent” with “$100” and “One Hundred Dollars.” The barcode is still valid for the original one-cent amount, but if the cashier only looks at the face value and skims the system verification, they may pay out $100 for a one-cent ticket. The system will only deduct one cent, leaving the casino short $99.99.

Where it appears

Casinos with cashiers who fail to verify system-displayed amounts against printed ticket amounts; casinos with handheld scanners that show small amounts in hard-to-read displays.

On the record

This scam exploits human error and procedural failures rather than technical vulnerabilities. It succeeds primarily in busy cashier environments where speed is prioritized over verification.

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.