Who Was Dennis Nikrasch?
Dennis Sean McAndrew, also known by his real name Dennis Nikrasch, was born in September 1941 and went down in history as the greatest pokie machine cheater.
He mainly acted in Nevada and Atlantic City for twenty-two years and robbed over sixteen million dollars in jackpots from casinos.
It reached the point that the authorities controlling gambling in Nevada acknowledged that he was a threat to the safety of the casino pokie industry.
What Did Sean McAndrew Do?
He overcame the system despite all precautions taken by casino security systems; they could not stop him, all gambling houses or specially trained personnel suspected everyone, and the continuous technical improvement of pokie machines also didn't help. With the help of electronics, he could affect the computer chips that control the operation of pokies.
Armed with the most advanced device, constantly one step ahead of their time with the help of his assistants, he hit huge jackpots and won various prizes.
Several members of his team distracted the attention from security and surveillance in various ways. At the same time, McAndrew safely opened the machine and connected it to the random number generator, a program for issuing the jackpot. After this, another assistant started playing this pokie and became the proud owner of a large amount.
Nikrasch in Jail
First, Dennis was caught and condemned for breaking mechanical pokie machines in the late twentieth century. In 1986, he again illegally won ten million dollars in different casinos in Las Vegas. He was sentenced to prison and released on parole in January 1991.
During this time, fraudsters' protection technology for pokie machines stepped forward, so hacking them seemed impossible. However, genius McAndrew could beat them, and it once again brought him millions of dollars. In November 1998, using his knowledge and skills, he was trying to get the Megabucks jackpot of seventeen million dollars. Still, his teammates allegedly betrayed him, and FBI agents and supervisory control of gambling in Nevada arrested him.
The FBI and Nevada authorities feared that McAndrew would pass his knowledge to other hackers and wanted to discover his secrets. They asked him to reduce the prison sentence in exchange for cooperation. Moreover, no one could guarantee that other hackers did not use the techniques known by Dennis, and he agreed. It's difficult to say whether he shared all his secrets with the authorities or kept something for the future.
His name appeared on the "black list" of persons prohibited from appearing in all Nevada casinos.
| Name | Return to player | Max payout | Variance | Soft | ||
| 99.07% | x1000 | Low |
|
Play | |
| 99% | x12075 | High |
|
Play | |
| 98.98% | x3843 | Middle |
|
Play | |
| 98.72% | — | — |
|
Play | |
| 98.67% | — | — |
|
Play | |
| 98.6% | x670 | Low |
|
Play | |
| 98.18% | — | Low |
|
||
| 98.13% | x15000 | High |
|
Play | |
| 98.12% | x10000 | High |
|
Play | |
| 98.12% | x500 | Low |
|
Play | |
| 98.11% | x1500 | High |
|
Play | |
| 98.11% | x7500 | — |
|
Play | |
| 98.1% | x2500 | — |
|
Play | |
| 98.1% | x2500 | — |
|
Play | |
| 98.08% | x10000 | High |
|
Play |
The End
How was McAndrew caught? There is still no clear answer. They did not even know Dennis himself, which gave rise to a vast array of speculation published in all editions. Most said they wanted to get rid of their companion and nursed a grudge for past deeds, but this does not seem trustworthy. Instead, it was done by an outsider who somehow found out about the team's plans and was pressured by the FBI.
Dennis Nikrasch died in 2010.
