The golden age of arcades was not just defined by pixels and joysticks, but also by a constant, behind-the-scenes battle against theft and vandalism. The security of the arcade cabinet itself evolved significantly to protect the valuable electronics and coins inside. The most significant advancements moved from simple physical barriers to sophisticated electronic systems.

Initially, security was purely physical. Manufacturers used simple locks on coin doors and back panels. A major leap was the standardization of robust, tubular locks or even Medeco-style high-security locks that were incredibly difficult to pick, replacing cheaper, more vulnerable designs. Tempered glass for marquees and reinforced metal framing made cabinets themselves more resilient to brute force attacks.

The heart of revenue protection, the coin mechanism, saw critical innovation. Basic coin slots were easily fooled by slugs or strings. This led to the development of sophisticated mechs that used precision weight measurements, size discrimination through rolling paths, and later, micro-switches and optical sensors (opto-gates) to authenticate coins or tokens with high accuracy, drastically reducing fraud.

Perhaps the most crucial advancement was in Printed Circuit Board (PCB) security. Early games had no protection; a bootleg board could simply be swapped in. Manufacturers began implementing custom chips that acted as "keys," such as Capcom's infamous CPS security cartridges. The system would check for this unique chip; without it, the game would not boot. This evolved into more complex encryption methods, where game code was scrambled and required a specific, proprietary processor on the original PCB to decrypt and run, making bootlegging extremely difficult.

With the shift to more PC-based hardware in modern arcades, security has become increasingly digital. Secure boot processes, hardware dongles, and online license verification are now standard. These systems prevent unauthorized software copying and operation, ensuring that only officially licensed software runs on the hardware.

Finally, remote monitoring represents the latest layer of defense. Networked arcade machines can now report their status, earnings, and any error conditions—including cabinet tampering—directly to operators or manufacturers. This allows for immediate response to potential security breaches, moving protection from a purely physical realm to an intelligent, connected one.

These advancements, from hardened steel locks to encrypted silicon, collectively transformed the arcade cabinet from a simple wooden box into a highly secure, revenue-protecting appliance.