Overview
An arcade machine containing both Tetris and Cherry Master refers to a fascinating era of "secret gambling games". These were custom-built or modified illegal bootleg arcade cabinets designed to evade law enforcement in areas where gambling was strictly prohibited.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, software developers (such as Corsica or Aidonis Games) created special arcade boards that looked entirely innocent at first glance. When turned on, the machine would boot into a perfectly legal, standard arcade title—most commonly Tetris or Ms. Pac-Man.
However, if an operator or a trusted player entered a specific, hidden combination of joystick and button inputs, the system would instantly switch over to Cherry Master, a popular, unregulated slot machine game.
