Lakewood Ranch collector hits jackpot

Lakewood Ranch’s Jay Scheck has put a new spin on his hobby.

Scheck, an avid collector, has nine Japanese slot machines lined up against the wall of his “man cave” in the family garage.

He originally thought his collection of slot machines would be a good way to save money.

“I bought my first one because I thought it took quarters,” Scheck said. “I figured it would be more interesting to throw money in that than just a piggy bank.”

But Japanese slot machines only take tokens.

All of a sudden, it was more of a video game attraction. Japanese slot machines can be loud and obnoxious.

Scheck’s wife, Wendy, said her husband never intended to be a slot machine collector. Then after buying the first one a year ago, it turned into two. Then two turned into nine.

Wendy Scheck is partially to blame. The couple was planning her 50th birthday celebration in June and she decided she wanted to have a casino theme.

It was game on.

“It was like a get-out-of-jail-free card for me to get another slot machine,” said Jay Scheck, who finds the machines on sites like Craigslist and eBay.

Scheck is a collector of many different items, calling himself “the guardian of history.” Although Japanese slot machines are his latest endeavor, he also collects medieval helmets, swords and antique pocket watches.

“If someone doesn’t take care of these things, they will disappear,” Scheck said. “I have been collecting weird things for my whole life. Everything tells a story, like some of my antique pocket watches. Some are engraved with ships, and some with little houses.”

He calls Japanese slot machines “cool and weird,” but he also finds them similar to computers.

Scheck worked for Mars Inc. in New Jersey fixing computers until a motorcycle accident six years ago left him with a broken neck and paralysis in his right arm, forcing him to retire.

Fixing the slot machines keeps him in contact with his former job.

“The older computers that I used to work with had ribbon cables and the same kind of connectors that the slot machines do,” said Scheck, who is 45. “The slots have a power supply, which computers have, and they do the same things in terms of function.”

After buying the inoperable slot machines for about $100, he takes the machines apart and figures out how they are wired and how they function.

Wendy Scheck said her husband tried to continue work for Mars, but was forced to retire.

Now, while his wife and daughter, 8-year-old Sofia, are working or attending school, he is at home trying to fill his spare time.

“He is home all the time,” Wendy Scheck said. “And he is a really smart guy, so I like the fact that collecting Japanese slot machines gave him something cool to do with his mind. Also, the fact that his collection is in the garage is great because they aren’t in the house.”

He loves to fix them.

“Since breaking my neck and losing the ability to use my right arm, I couldn’t fix computers anymore like I used to,” Scheck said. “I didn’t expect the first slot machine I purchased to need repair, but it did, and I was able to fix it. I got such a feeling of satisfaction, being able to fix something again, so I started to look for others that were broken.”

Playing the slot machines has become a family event in the Scheck household.

Sofia Scheck loves making it to a bonus round, which includes a lot of noise and flashing lights.

“They are so fun,” she said. “When you get to the bonus rounds you can win, then you can empty the whole [slot machine] out. I love coming in here and playing with them.”