The expert analysis of the maquinitas...

Now that we've had a chance to look over the expert witness's analysis of the illegal gaming machines (AKA maquinitas) that were seized by the City of Miami PD in the maquinita raids under then police chief Miguel Exposito's reign, what conclusions can we draw?  The expert witness, D. Robert Sertell, examined all the different types and brands of machines and came to similar conclusions for the different machines.  Through various types of analysis, whether through video analysis, physical analysis of the machines electronics, photo analysis, or analysis of the algorithms that the machine runs on, without a doubt the findings were the same, take this excerpt from the report for example...

As the string of icons spins in front of the player, the pressing of the skill stop button causes the last icon to morph, or change into a different symbol than the one which is supposed to be displayed.  This morphing permits the machine's computer to defeat any attempt at skill, and to deliver an outcome that was chosen in advance by the computer.  Not only is this machine designed and manufactured specifically for the purpose of gambling; it is also designed to cheat the customer.

So not only are these machines designed "specifically for the purposes of gambling" but they're also designed to fuck the poor guy that's dumping his money into them!  Say what you want about casino's but at least legal gambling machines are highly regulated and are designed to be at least somewhat fair to the player, with the maquinitas it's all about fucking the customer as the owner of the machines can adjust how often the machines allow the player to win!  Again, from the report...

Because of its newer design, Golden Treasure Island employs an on-screen menu by which the operator can set the payout percentage.  The manual describes a procedure whereby the operator must first enter the password and then proceed to a menu screen called "SETUP".  Once within that setup screen, the manual shows the operator how to enter the "WIN RATE" mode.  The Win Rate screen permits the operator to select from among 6 different percentage choices.  This is the equivalent of having the operator utilize a dip switch for this purpose; simply a more modern technique.  The existence of such an arrangement, generally called reflexive percentaging, whereby the operator may command the computer to deliver a specific payout percentage to the customer, and may change it by simply flipping some switch levers, or by making an on screen menu selection, is proof that the game's outcome is determined by the computer, and that skill plays NO ROLE in whether the player wins or loses.  

OK, I think we've already established that the machines are a joke and that they're designed to fuck the people playing them, but here's where it gets better...

In a legal gambling jurisdiction, such as Nevada, New Jersey, or Mississippi, the discovery of a reflexive percentaging scheme in an acknowledged slot machine, would cause Gaming Inspectors to turn that machine off immediately, and would result in fines and disciplinary action for the casino responsible.

LOL WTF!  How do you like them apples!  Even if the "maquinita" in question were in a legal casino, because of the way they are designed, THEY WOULD STILL BE ILLEGAL!

And the final nail in the coffin...

The three elements of gambling are present in these machines.  I believe that each of these machines is a gambling device because (A) consideration is present in that the customer is required to pay something in order to play the game; (B) chance is present in that the customer is not able to actually predict or control the outcome of the game, the outcome of these games is determined overwhelmingly by chance; and (C) reward is present in that the customer may become entitled to receive something of value as a result of the outcome of the game.

So what have we learned from this report?  We now have an expert that confirms that the maquinitas are nothing more than slot machines (DUH) and the icing on the cake?  Even if these maquinitas were in a legal casino, because of the way the operator can manipulate the payouts, THEY'RE STILL FUCKING ILLEGAL!  So what happened to City of Miami mayor Tomas Regalado's assertions that these machines were for amusement purposes only?  We now know in fact that they're nothing more than illegal gaming machines whose sole purpose is to fuck the poor folks who play them and to line the pockets of the owners with tax free cash.

What's most upsetting about this mess is that the tax payers are still footing the bill for defending the city against the lawsuits brought forth by the machine owners and that we're still paying for storing the confiscated machines while the litigation is ongoing.  To add insult to injury, there hasn't been a single high level arrest regarding these machines, it seems to me everyone arrested to date has been a lowly store clerk or store owner that's gotten away with a slap on the wrist, add to that the way the powers that be at the city attorney's office tried to hide this report by not paying for it and you have taste of the shit sandwich that the Regalado administration is trying to shove down the taxpayers throat.