German thieves raid Gauselmann land gambling machines

Lawyers at the land gambling machine manufacturer Gauselmann could be busy this week following German press reports that a criminal exploitation of an alleged software flaw in machines offered in casinos across Germany could result in up to Euro 10 million in damage claims.

Press reports indicate that “hundreds” of casinos were prejudiced by the thieves in the course of a single night, with evidence of a coordinated and well-organised assault which occurred earlier this year, but has only now been reported, initially by Der Spiegel.

The software bug caused machines to dispense money when the combination of numbers 1936 was pushed just before pulling down on the lever, Spiegel reported. Some businesses lost as much as Euro 100,000 over the course of the night.

The publication T-Online reported that the combination used by the criminals to empty the machines was likely published on the internet.

Gauselmann spokesman Mario Hofmeister doubted that his company could be held liable, given that the machines were not used in an authorised manner.