Couple finds piece of gambling history18 June 2008
RENO, Nevada -- As reported by the Reno Gazette-Journal: "Boyd and Sharon Cox thought they were simply buying an antique roulette table when they responded to a newspaper ad several years ago.
"What they ended up with is a one-of-a-kind piece of gambling history that has been talked about and written about but never actually seen by modern-day gaming regulators and insiders.
"...'This is the bigfoot, the UFO, the D.B. Cooper of gambling stuff,' said Jim Edwards, a senior agent and 32-year veteran of the Nevada Gaming Control Board Enforcement Division.
"In gambling parlance, it is a gaffed wheel. In layman's terms, it's rigged to cheat.
"Edwards and several other agents joined the Coxes on Monday at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, where X-rays were taken to reveal the inner workings of the device.
"...The Coxes bought the wheel from an antiques collector in Sonora, Calif., in 2000 and have kept it in storage while they tried to figure out what to do with it.
"...They paid about $7,500 for the wheel and table, and an extra $1,000 to have them restored. That's when things became interesting.
"'He called us and said the legs have been hollowed out and there are batteries inside about the size of orange juice cans,' Sharon Cox said.
"...Monday's X-ray session, which focused mainly on a mechanical, metallic device built into the wheel, didn't immediately reveal any answers as to how the rigged machine worked.
"Boyd Cox speculated it could have created a magnetized area of the wheel that would attract or repel a roulette ball, but no definitive answer could be reached until the wheel is made operational..."
RENO, Nevada -- As reported by the Reno Gazette-Journal: "Boyd and Sharon Cox thought they were simply buying an antique roulette table when they responded to a newspaper ad several years ago.
"What they ended up with is a one-of-a-kind piece of gambling history that has been talked about and written about but never actually seen by modern-day gaming regulators and insiders.
"...'This is the bigfoot, the UFO, the D.B. Cooper of gambling stuff,' said Jim Edwards, a senior agent and 32-year veteran of the Nevada Gaming Control Board Enforcement Division.
"In gambling parlance, it is a gaffed wheel. In layman's terms, it's rigged to cheat.
"Edwards and several other agents joined the Coxes on Monday at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, where X-rays were taken to reveal the inner workings of the device.
"...The Coxes bought the wheel from an antiques collector in Sonora, Calif., in 2000 and have kept it in storage while they tried to figure out what to do with it.
"...They paid about $7,500 for the wheel and table, and an extra $1,000 to have them restored. That's when things became interesting.
"'He called us and said the legs have been hollowed out and there are batteries inside about the size of orange juice cans,' Sharon Cox said.
"...Monday's X-ray session, which focused mainly on a mechanical, metallic device built into the wheel, didn't immediately reveal any answers as to how the rigged machine worked.
"Boyd Cox speculated it could have created a magnetized area of the wheel that would attract or repel a roulette ball, but no definitive answer could be reached until the wheel is made operational..."