Holy shit Danny, that is the longest thread I've ever seen
Will have to digest it in chunks rather than in one go, my eyes started hurting half way through
Getting aside from the technology aspect, I'd ask you this. I'm not provoking anything but it was something I thought people could argue in reply to your post, and I could see were they were coming from if it was mentioned.
When you play a fruit machine, 9/10 people are trying to win money. If I know something, say how to manipulate a machine, then I too will use this to my advantage. The problem is for the people who don't know this info or whatever and stand no chance of winning. Me, I don't care, they should no when a machine is worth playing etc.
However, let us say they went in the pub first. For a laugh they had brought 100 old francs with them. Putting one into the machine, it registered as a two pound coin. Now, they could obviously win a shit load of money and it would be the manufacturer's problem that these coins worked, and if I had a load of old francs I'd certainly take advantage of it. I'm quite sure this would be classed as illegal.
Talking about morality on fruit machines is pointless because the end game is to make money, and the poor sod to go on afterwards- whether a machine has been emptied illegally or through a bug, which was likely coded on purpose, hence is illegal anyway, it makes no difference to that player who goes on next and loses a fortune because the % is messed up.
Sorry for getting off topic. Interesting thread. I couldn't really comment on whether they are random, but if so, it is the online bookmaker who has the longterm edge with any machine that is supposed to be random. Which is why I believe winning on them in the longterm is impossible. Unless of course, they are not truly random, in which case you could take advantage of this- by seeing patterns etc.