Reid Errol McNeal and Ron Harris are two notable gamblers. In 1995, McNeal won a huge jackpot. The odds were basically one million to one, but he still managed to make $100,000 on a keno jackpot. This happened at Bally’s Park Place Casino in Atlantic City. Officials were highly suspicious of the win. McNeal didn’t show much emotion on the win and he did not have identification with him. He also asked the casino to pay him in cash. Law requires that any win over $35,000 has to be verified by state gaming officials. The officials arrived to find Harris and McNeal in the hotel room. McNeal was taken downstairs to be questioned. McNeal told them Harris was a computer tech for Nevada.
McNeal may have ratted out Harris in the interview, but Harris was gone. The search turned up the computer equipment, books, and notes on how the random number generator could be beaten. Officials delved further into Harris to find he was the person to check and test slot machines in Nevada gaming casinos. He had to make certain the computer chips were being used. This brilliance led to the programming of the keno machine in Atlantic City. It enabled McNeal to win because he could guess which numbers would come out next from the Keno machine. McNeal was immediately arrested, but since Harris skipped it took until they found him in Nevada. Ron Harris lost his job due to his thievery attempt.
This made Harris end up on the black book. This black book is the known list of offenders never allowed in any casino including those in Nevada and around the world. Harris was sentenced to seven years in prison, but served two. Despite being black listed from all casinos Harris returned to Las Vegas.
Harris has become one of the most famous gamblers of the last millennium because of this genius computer move. He showed casinos that there is certainly a way to get hacked, but the casinos showed him right back that they could tell. Harris has been on the Bio, History, Discovery, and Travel channels with his story being discussed. Some of the broadcasts are interviews with Harris, but many are re-enactments of the most memorable moments of his scheme.
The thing is, before 1995 Harris actually stole for two years from Las Vegas casinos. Apparently it was small amounts that went unnoticed. The only reason the truth came out was due to being caught in New Jersey. Harris was a brilliant computer and maths man. Due to his being able to create source codes and modify slot machines he made thousands in one of the most successful and almost undetected scams of casino history. Had McNeal and Harris not been greedy in Atlantic City they may have kept going. After all, why stop when you have amazing success? As a modern man who didn’t gamble at the tables or with money in the slots, he certainly gambled his life on his brilliance.