Can the Casino Change machines Tell a Counterfeit from the Real Thing?

Got to thinking about cash. A while back a fast-food cashier checked a $10 bill to see if it was counterfeit. She told me that most of the bad bills come from the bank! That got me to wondering if the change machines at the casinos can tell a good counterfeit from the real thing.

The short answer to your question is that many of the machines on the market are embedded with software designed to detect funny money. They do this by scanning for anomalies in the bill, then comparing it against a database of valid bills

According to one techno-blogger, “Each denomination of U.S. currency has its own unique magnetic signature, which is incorporated into the design of the bill by the Treasury Department. When a suspect bill passes through the machine, it can be quickly detected if it does not match the expected magnetic signature.”

Why would bills have magnetic properties? Contemporary U.S. bills employ ferrous-based ink for the printing of the obverse. The iron residue in the ink accounts for its black coloration. Counterfeiting, which typically entails photocopying, comes up short here.

Counterfeit bills also tend to be deficient in certain properties, such as coloration and density. Machines can be calibrated to detect these variances. Another anomaly that they scan for is an invisible-ink pattern that can be read only by ultra-violet light. Magnetic scans sense whether a security strip is in the paper or not and infrared scanners look for the watermark.

Writes blogger Peter Hand, “The $100 ‘superdollar’ caused a lot of grief some years ago, because it was so good that it practically had to have been produced by a national government somewhere. But when these are discovered, they're quickly analyzed for small differences and a software update is usually provided within days or even hours, so that they'll be rejected in the future.”

Bill-validation machines, including your garden-variety ATM, are programmed to compare the portraits on the bills with electronic templates. They're scanned for size, brightness, contrast, and image histogram. The discrepancy between a counterfeit bill and the linen/cotton makeup of the real McCoy can also be measured. Lastly, quirks are built into real currency, such as the roughness of Ben Franklin’s collar and shoulder.

Cash-reading machines like these are costly. This makes them prohibitive for small businesses (and perhaps little casinos). Luckily, and to finally answer question, the average casino can afford to stock them.

No part of this answer may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher.

Have a question that hasn't been answered? Email us with your suggestion.

Missed a Question of the Day?

Have a Question?

Tomorrow's Question

Has Clark County ever considered legalizing prostitution?

Comments

Bob Mar-02-2024

What about slot machines?

are the bill validators on slot machines that sophisticated? one could feed the funny money into a Slot machine, Play a little and then Tito out and get legit $ out of the Change Machine?  also wonder if when the High tech Change machine detects a counterfeit bill, does it just spit it back? does it match it to your picture and notify security?

Cal Mar-02-2024

counterfeit bill

A year or so ago I witnessed security personnel going to a machine that a person kept trying to put in a $20. The lights above the machine were flashing. Security said the bill was counterfeit. Was an elderly man playing. Maybe he didn't meet the profile, regardless, they took the bill and asked him to wait.
I played a while, a security guard stayed with the guy. Don't know anything else.

Randall Ward Mar-02-2024

counterfeit

not sure I want to be involved with this, but it's frustrating when the slot machine rejects a bill repeatedly then later it's fine.  Most fake money I've seen is very fake

David Mar-02-2024

For Bob

Yes, the BVs in the slot machines also have this technology.  It's extremely rare that a bill slips by...after 20 years in the business, the only counterfeits I've heard of come from the tables, and that's extremely rare as well.

And as far as the comment "Luckily, and to finally answer question, the average casino can afford to stock them", the better answer would be that the average casino can't afford to NOT stock them.

[email protected] Mar-02-2024

The $100 ‘superdollar‘ ??

Would love to see a QoD with more background/details about this!  But can’t wait so going to google it now.

Llew Mar-02-2024

My experience

Many years ago, I worked as a bank teller. We always counted deposits by pulling one bill at a time with our thumb and index finger. That made it easier to feel the texture of the bill. 
I actually caught a very good counterfeit $20 that way. It was in the deposit being made by a regular customer. He had received the bill when he cashed his paycheck at a bank down the road from ours.  Unfortunately, he lost $20 that day. 
We were also taught to check suspicious bill for the tiny flecks of color made by imbedded  fibers.  Now they have the security lines across the bill.

asaidi Mar-02-2024

Remember when they changed the bills

I remember when they changed the $10 and $20 bills and made the face on the bill off center and larger.  For a few weeks, bill validators wouldn't accept the new bills.  I'm sure that was a huge headache for casinos.

King of the Bovines Mar-02-2024

Counterfeit money

I've only (knowingly) had two incidents involving counterfeit money.

First one was when I was taking over the cash drawer, and as I was going thru the $100 bills, one 'felt' funny.  Looked closer, and the font on the serial number was wrong.  Never found out who brought it in.

Other time was as I was getting back from break, there were two $20 bills that just didn't quite look right.  Passed the pen test, but when put in the money counter the error 'Magnetic Ink Fail' (or something like that) and when I was about to call the Main Cage, I noticed that the serial numbers on the two bills were the same.

Strangely, the guest made a $22 sports wager, so got $18 cash back and would need to come back if the bet won.

Sadly, it did not...

Question of the Day - 02 March 2024

Comments