The 2341 key cannot impact the game itself.” “There are various levels of security to get in there.

“That requires a whole different key that has to be signed out from security,” Barbee said. That task involves opening a slot machine to get into its inner workings. Jim Barbee, chief of the Control Board’s technology division, said state regulations require a casino to perform some level of hardware or software change to alter a game’s odds.

That day, the panel accepted the seven-figure fine paid by the Peppermill Casino after an employee was caught using a 2341 key to steal proprietary information, such as slot machine hold percentages, from 11 rival Northern Nevada casinos. Burnett told the Nevada Gaming Commission on Feb. “This key cannot access the brain box of a slot machine,” Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Gaming regulators require that 30 different technical standards be displayed when the 2341 key is inserted on the side of a slot machine.īut the key can’t alter a game’s outcome - it won’t line up three sevens or program a jackpot.

The key lets someone with intricate knowledge of a typical slot machine’s inner workings to view hold percentage settings, game history, and payouts on the game’s screen. Most keys are generic and work on slot machines of all manufacturers. Reset a game following verification of a large jackpot. The key is a common tool used by slot machine technicians to gather information or

The Las Vegas Review-Journal purchased two of the keys - often referred to as the 2341 slot machine reset/attendant key - from an eBay seller in Winona, Minn., for $12.44, including shipping and handling.īut was the transaction a waste of money? (Michael Quine/Las Vegas Review-Journal)Ĭommon slot machine reset keys - identical to one that caused a Reno casino to be hit with a $1 million gaming fine - are easily found for sale on various Internet sites. Technology Division Chief Jim Barbee explains the uses of the 2341 attendant key on several slot machines at the offices of the State of Nevada Gaming Control Board.

Slot machine reset