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 cheater of slot machines.
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 industry of gaming machines.
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 slot machines also didn't help. With the help of electronics, he could affect the computer chips that control the operation of slots.
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.
He acted as follows. Several members of his team, in various ways, distracted the attention from security and surveillance. 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 slot and became the proud owner of a large amount.
Nikrasch in Jail
First, Dennis was caught and condemned for breaking mechanical slot machines in the late seventies of the 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 slot 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 jackpot of Megabucks 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 with the authorities all his secrets or kept something for the future.
His name appeared on the "black list" of persons prohibited from appearing in all Nevada casinos.
The End
How was McAndrew caught? There is still no clear answer. They did not even know Dennis himself. This gave rise to a vast array of great speculation published in all editions. Most said they wanted to get rid of their companion and nursed a grudge for past deeds, but it 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.
