>If this analysis can cast a shadow on the myth of Mel Kaye ... it stems from the obvious lack of real value that the hack added to the program. It's very unlikely that a standard loop would have degraded the program's performance in any noticeable way.
I thought the original story implied that the primary purpose of the alleged hack was to make the program (a blackjack game) difficult for anyone else to understand and edit, because Mel himself had refused to alter the program to allow the company's staff to cheat?
(edit: blackjack, not backgammon, thank you cassiepaper)