Russian Hacker Makes a Fortune Predicting Slot Games Outcome

Introducing Alex

Russian programmer and mathematician, known only as Alex, has been operating a casino-hacking business for around eight years. He discovered his knack for reverse engineering the algorithms that predict how slot games behave a decade ago, when, as a freelance hacker, he was approached by a Russian casino to tweak Novomatic machines down from a 90% RTP (Return to Player), to only 50%. After completing the task, Alex decided to master the art of these algorithms – also known as pseudorandom number generators, or PRNGs – with a clear view of turning his new-found skill into a profitable career by figuring out a way to win at the pokies.

“Milking” slot machines in excess of $250K per week

In 2008, Alex was ready to put his mathematical prowess to new use, and set forth with a small team of specially recruited agents, targeting casinos all across Eastern Europe whose machines’ PRNGs he had deciphered. Such as, of course, Novomatic.

The modus operandi is pretty simple and takes place under two hours: The agents use their mobile phones to record videos of vulnerable slot machines in action – then send the recordings to Alex’s office in St. Petersburg, where he and his assistants analyze the footage to decide when the slots’ odds will briefly tip against the house. Once determined, timing data is sent back to the agent’s phone via a customised app, which then causes the device to vibrate a split second before the spin button must be pressed. According to Alex, a four-person team employing this method can easily earn over $250.000 in a single week.

Exit Strategy

According to Alex, his prosperous enterprise is not violating any Russian law. On the contrary, he feels his hacking acts as a way to counterbalance the unfairly rigged global gambling system – and give back to the people…and himself. But that’s Russia, and Alex isn’t naïve to the fact that his “milking system” is considered unlawful in many other countries, such as the US – where four of his agents were indicted on federal fraud charges in 2014.

With this in mind, Alex knows he cannot simply cash out and walk away. But he’s had enough and yearns to get back to his first love of just playing around with code. So, he needs to come up with a way to exit his business with legitimate money in the bank…

Alex vs Australian Slot Manufacturer, Aristocrat

In November 2016, Alex sent Tracey Elkerton, Aristocrat’s global head of regulatory and product compliance, an email highlighting his PRNG superpowers – with particular reference to their games – along with an offer to not only cease compromising their brand, but to assist Aristocrat developers, who make Aristocrat pokies, in a consulting capacity to eradicate weaknesses in the games’ design – at a price. As an additional incentive, Alex adds that he would be more than willing to share Aristocrat’s technical flaws to their competitors via the internet and other media, should he be ignored.

In response, Elkerton suggested they meet on neutral ground – in the US. Alex of course couldn’t agree to this as he would risk being arrested. The frustrated hacker continued to push his luck with a more detailed email containing more veiled threats, as well as a phone-call via an interpreter, during which he claimed to have cracked Aristocrat’s latest slot games’ RPNGs.

Alas, in the end Aristocrat refused to give in to Alex’s extortion attempts, claiming that the information he gave “could not be verified”. Elkerton did admit however that compromised games are no longer being supported, and that moving forward more protective solutions are being implemented.

The future

Not thwarted just yet, Alex continues to promote his “consultant” idea, this time with Austrian game-makers IGT in mind. He also claims to be in the process of selling his system to the Russian and Georgian Mafia.

Or, Alex says, he could simply go out in a blaze of mischief and publish his technology online for the wold to use, effectively turning every vulnerable slot machine into a fully loaded ATM.

Just imagine.