Ah, US cops. Someone found a computer bug? Point an assault rifle at their face. My instincts about this are that the company who produced the buggy software should be held responsible for the casinos' losses. Presumably there's a contract between casinos and the machine manufacturers. What does it say about responsibility for losses due to manufacturing defects?Nestor says he started toward the stairs, his hands over his head, when he came face-to-face with a trooper in full riot gear. “Get on the floor!” yelled the trooper, leveling his AR-15 at Nestor's face. Nestor complied. The cop ratcheted the handcuffs on Nestor's wrists, yanked him to his feet, and marched him into the kitchen.
Well it depends. I haven't read the story, so I don't know if it's a good analogy, but if a safe company made a lock that was easy to pick, it doesn't give me the right to steal what's inside. If it's your safe that's been compromised, and you find that many other people who have the same safe have also had thefts occur, you might try suing the manufacturer, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't want your property returned and those who stole it held to account. Again, I don't know the particulars here, but there seems to be a perception that stealing things online isn't really stealing.What does it say about responsibility for losses due to manufacturing defects?
Casinos are telling you, "Here is a safe. Try and pick it." That small chance that you can "pick" the safe and take a meager amount of money is what brings gamblers in each day. It's encouraged. People do occasionally get to withdraw from the safe. These people pressed the buttons on the slot machine exactly as they were allowed to attempt to pick locks normally, and they simply found a way to exploit the machine without doing any hacking or fiddling, just in the sequence of button-pressing. Is it still stealing? They had all charges acquitted (so essentially they legally did no hacking, did no stealing), and yet they did not get their money back. All they got out of it was back taxes they can't pay.
A great read. It reminds me a bit of Michael Larson who rewatched tapings of 'Press Your Luck' and figured out all the patterns of the 'random' board. He could press the button at exactly the correct time to win the prize he desired. Not so much a bug in the same sense as this article, but great nonetheless.
That was always an entertaining story. I love it when people fuck over these kinds of things, and then it's like they're a criminal for being clever.
This reminds me of the Eudaemons who took on roulette in the 1970's with physics and a wearable shoe computer. The difference, if I recall, was that they got away with it.
Come to think of it, it's kinda relevant to this week's #movieclub, now that you mention Ocean's 11.