The Security of Gambling and Gambling with Security: Hacking, Law Enforcement and Public Policy*

^*This artice was first published in French in Criminologie, Volume 39, Number 2, 2006. It was originally entitled ‘La Security du Jeu et le Jeu de la Securité: Piratage, Loi et Politique Publique’, and is reproduced here with kind permission of the Journal.

Abstract

This paper studies the relationship between criminal organization and social control in the area of computer crime. We examine a ‘cheat at play’ scheme that hacked into electronic gambling machines. We focus on how these cyber-attacks were committed and on the ability of the state and the industry to control them. We compare and contrast our findings with the research on hacking and the gambling industry and conclude by discussing the implications that our research has for law enforcement, security and consumer protection.

Acknowledgements

An earlier version of this paper was published in French in Criminologie (see first page for details). The editor has given approval to publish this revised version in English.

Notes

^*This artice was first published in French in Criminologie, Volume 39, Number 2, 2006. It was originally entitled ‘La Security du Jeu et le Jeu de la Securité: Piratage, Loi et Politique Publique’, and is reproduced here with kind permission of the Journal.