insult to injury
04-12-2010, 09:57 PM
#1
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Location: Pacific Northwest
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Colorado casino says $43 million prize message was mistake
By Kristen Wyatt
Associated Press
POSTED: 01:51 p.m. EDT, Mar 31, 2010
DENVER: A woman who won $42.9 million off a penny slot machine saw her jackpot disappear when the casino said the payout message was an error.
Now Colorado gaming authorities are trying to find out what caused the phony fortune.
The false jackpot message went to Louise Chavez Friday while she was playing penny slots in the Fortune Valley Casino in Central City. The machine announced she'd won $42.9 million — a far richer sum than the posted top prize of $251,000.
Fortune Valley doesn't dispute that the machine told Chavez she'd won millions. But the casino says workers immediately told the gambler the message was an error and reported the mistake to the Colorado Division of Gaming, which regulates casinos.
Chavez says she's owed the full jackpot. The woman told news stations she earns only about $12,000 a year as a home assistant in suburban Denver.
"I just felt like, you know, I was being cheated. I was being cheated out of the money that I won," Chavez told KCNC-TV in Denver.
Colorado gaming authorities say the casino has no legal obligation to pay the $42.9 million. Don Burmania, a spokesman for the division, said the top prize of $251,000 was clearly posted in the casino and that a software malfunction is to blame for the glitch.
Burmania said Chavez likely won a prize, triggering the message, but that the game's structure wouldn't allow such a rich jackpot.
"If she is owed some money, the casino and the manufacturer are more than willing to pay her what she's owed. But it will not be $42.9 million, that's not possible," Burmania said.
It's not the first time a Colorado casino has had to fess up to a phony jackpot. In 2008, Burmania said, a penny slot machine at another Colorado casino told a player she'd won $164 million. Her correct prize should have been $6.60.
That casino settled a lawsuit out of court with the gambler.
Chavez says the Fortune Valley Casino gave her a free breakfast but that she is owed more. There was no immediate word on a lawsuit, and casino spokesman Joe Behm said the casino was waiting for the state investigation into the glitch before deciding what to do.
"Of course, once the division's inquiry is completed, we will follow any instructions we receive," Behm said in a statement.
Chavez told ABC television that she deserves the full prize.
"There are dreams and there are things I'd like to do — helping my family, helping my kids. That's why I'm disappointed," she said.
Notice all they offered her was breakfast after they busted her bubble
By Kristen Wyatt
Associated Press
POSTED: 01:51 p.m. EDT, Mar 31, 2010
DENVER: A woman who won $42.9 million off a penny slot machine saw her jackpot disappear when the casino said the payout message was an error.
Now Colorado gaming authorities are trying to find out what caused the phony fortune.
The false jackpot message went to Louise Chavez Friday while she was playing penny slots in the Fortune Valley Casino in Central City. The machine announced she'd won $42.9 million — a far richer sum than the posted top prize of $251,000.
Fortune Valley doesn't dispute that the machine told Chavez she'd won millions. But the casino says workers immediately told the gambler the message was an error and reported the mistake to the Colorado Division of Gaming, which regulates casinos.
Chavez says she's owed the full jackpot. The woman told news stations she earns only about $12,000 a year as a home assistant in suburban Denver.
"I just felt like, you know, I was being cheated. I was being cheated out of the money that I won," Chavez told KCNC-TV in Denver.
Colorado gaming authorities say the casino has no legal obligation to pay the $42.9 million. Don Burmania, a spokesman for the division, said the top prize of $251,000 was clearly posted in the casino and that a software malfunction is to blame for the glitch.
Burmania said Chavez likely won a prize, triggering the message, but that the game's structure wouldn't allow such a rich jackpot.
"If she is owed some money, the casino and the manufacturer are more than willing to pay her what she's owed. But it will not be $42.9 million, that's not possible," Burmania said.
It's not the first time a Colorado casino has had to fess up to a phony jackpot. In 2008, Burmania said, a penny slot machine at another Colorado casino told a player she'd won $164 million. Her correct prize should have been $6.60.
That casino settled a lawsuit out of court with the gambler.
Chavez says the Fortune Valley Casino gave her a free breakfast but that she is owed more. There was no immediate word on a lawsuit, and casino spokesman Joe Behm said the casino was waiting for the state investigation into the glitch before deciding what to do.
"Of course, once the division's inquiry is completed, we will follow any instructions we receive," Behm said in a statement.
Chavez told ABC television that she deserves the full prize.
"There are dreams and there are things I'd like to do — helping my family, helping my kids. That's why I'm disappointed," she said.
Notice all they offered her was breakfast after they busted her bubble
04-13-2010, 01:49 AM
#4
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: California
Posts: 401
A similar thing happened at a casino near my home in California a couple of years ago. The casino ended up giving the person the top prize of $100,000+. Legally, they are not obligated to give anyone anything at all but they did it out of goodwill. There was an obvious glitch as the machine's jackpot was less then what it said she had won. If you look closely at a slot machine you will always see words to the effect "malfunction voids all pays."
04-13-2010, 04:23 AM
#5
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: western Pa
Posts: 4,569
I think it's unfair-I don't care if the "machine made a mistake". But if that was me and I thought I won all that money I'd have dropped dead on the floor and they wouldn't have had to worry about paying me LOL.
04-13-2010, 04:50 AM
#7
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Murray, Ky. Looking for a nice cushy pillow to rest my head on!
Posts: 14,022
Originally Posted by Seanette
Why is someone trying to support kids on $1000/month gambling in the first place?
04-13-2010, 05:09 AM
#8
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Montreal
Posts: 1,962
Ok, first of all, who can live on 12,000 a year, and if she's so tight up for money, what the hell is she doing gambling in a casino?
Personally, I feel that the casino should make good and give her the top prize, at least... how do they know any other winners didn't get phoney read outs because of a malfunction, but since they might have been less than the top prize they wouldn't have known?
I DO feel that fighting to get the full amount is greedy... especially since it clearly says that software malfunction voids prizes. Errors happen. No different than going to the gas station and the price advertized on the sign doesn't reflect the price on the pump, they're not going to change the price for you because you throw a fit. The law says that the price at the pump goes, so suck it up.
It kind of sucks, but the casinos have the law on their side, so hiring a lawyer is just going to cost more money she doesn't seem be able to afford.
Personally, I feel that the casino should make good and give her the top prize, at least... how do they know any other winners didn't get phoney read outs because of a malfunction, but since they might have been less than the top prize they wouldn't have known?
I DO feel that fighting to get the full amount is greedy... especially since it clearly says that software malfunction voids prizes. Errors happen. No different than going to the gas station and the price advertized on the sign doesn't reflect the price on the pump, they're not going to change the price for you because you throw a fit. The law says that the price at the pump goes, so suck it up.
It kind of sucks, but the casinos have the law on their side, so hiring a lawyer is just going to cost more money she doesn't seem be able to afford.
04-13-2010, 05:26 AM
#9
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 688
I am amazed how casinos target people with very limited incomes. I have worked in the social service field for over 10 years and the casinos here in MN literally have a free bus that comes to all the public housing hi rises in Minneapolis and St Paul and offers free rides to the casinos, just after the first of the month. They literally send them a bus just after everyone gets their social security check. These are people that I would consider vulnerable to financial abuse, as many of them have a variety of disabilities that affect their ability to make decisions and budget their money. That is one thing I usually assisted most clients with. Let's see, you don't understand money management and have a rep payee that has to pay your bills, have impulse control issues because of mental illness/brain injury/cognitive disabilities, and the casinos bring you a free bus and offer free meals to tempt you to go spend the tiny bit of money you have left. Seems wrong to me.
Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now. DH and I have had numerous discussions about this and I know that a lot of people won't agree with me, but I think I've just seen it too often where by the end of the month, I'm taking these people to the food shelf. Sad.
Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now. DH and I have had numerous discussions about this and I know that a lot of people won't agree with me, but I think I've just seen it too often where by the end of the month, I'm taking these people to the food shelf. Sad.
04-13-2010, 05:37 AM
#10
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 2,375
Wow.
I dunno....there's so many things here...a lady making $12k a year at the casino...an obvious glitch with the $42 mil...what a bizarre story!
I think she's a *^&%&^ for fighting "to get what's owed to her" because "she had dreams". Heck, I have dreams, too...but not a sense of entitlement! Since the top prize is posted, anyone should NOT expect to win anymore than that, and in this case she'd be lucky to get more than $6.60 like another malfunction.
I dunno....there's so many things here...a lady making $12k a year at the casino...an obvious glitch with the $42 mil...what a bizarre story!
I think she's a *^&%&^ for fighting "to get what's owed to her" because "she had dreams". Heck, I have dreams, too...but not a sense of entitlement! Since the top prize is posted, anyone should NOT expect to win anymore than that, and in this case she'd be lucky to get more than $6.60 like another malfunction.
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