Glen Wheeler was handed a 12-month suspended prison sentence in Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday after confessing to swiping more than $2,000 from the machines – which he promptly fed straight back into them.

Police documents tendered to the court said Wheeler entered the club on four consecutive days last October to carry out his sting.

On the first day, October 14, he arrived at the club just before 2pm, signed in and walked towards the Ice Wizard poker machine. 

CCTV footage of the incident later revealed he pulled a tool out of his shorts and used it to force the machine’s lock undone. He then took the container carrying $1 coins and re-fed the coins into the machine in order to extend his playing time.

He repeated the process for the next two and a half hours, cashing out $765.

He returned to the club for the next three days and repeated the process, claiming $241 and $575 on the Ice Wizard on the second and third days, and $434 on 5 Dragons on the fourth day.

It was not clear on the court documents how the club discovered Wheeler’s scheme, however police fact sheets said the thefts were all captured on CCTV footage inside the club.

Wheeler was charged with four counts of larceny, to which he pleaded guilty.

In court on Tuesday, defence lawyer Elizabeth Parkes said Wheeler had been banned from clubs in the region as a result of his scam.

She said he admitted having a gambling problem, however was seeking professional help to work through his issues.

Magistrate Susan McGowan agreed to suspend the prison term, acknowledging Wheeler’s dishonest actions had been short lived and “unsophisticated”.

“It was doomed to fail,” she said.