Veronica Castillo had a grand total of five minutes to revel in her $8 million slots jackpot…then she got the bad news.
Officials at the Lucky Eagle Casino, located in Portland, Oregon, informed Castillo that her jackpot was the result of a machine malfunction. They claim that the game she was playing, Jurassic Riches, only pays out a maximum of $20,000. And the prize that she earned was allegedly only worth $80.
“I was very excited and happy…then, I couldn’t believe it,” Castillo said. “The casino staff came over and told her the machine had made an error and malfunctioned. They shut off the machine, took it away, printed out a ticket and gave me $80.”
She added, “To me it’s cheating, may even be fraudulent.”
Given her anger over the incident, Castillo has decided to hire an attorney and sue Lucky Eagle Casino over the matter. But she may have a tough battle on her hands, given that Jurassic Riches is not programmed to pay anywhere near $8 million.
“This machine offers a maximum jackpot of $20,000 if a maximum bet is placed on all lines,” said Lucky Eagle spokesman Joseph Dupuis. “The maximum jackpot that Ms. Castillo could have won based on the number of lines and credits she was betting is $6,000. We deeply regret that Ms. Castillo temporarily experienced an incorrect credit display while the machine began its process of metering down after the display malfunction, and have offered her a weekend stay in one of our suites as our guest, as well as dining at the property and free play included.”
In cases such as this one, there are mixed legal results. Behar Merlaku once sued Austria’s Casino Bregenz for a £40 million slots jackpot that was the result of a malfunction. He collected £1 million in an out-of-court settlement, but only because of the mental anguish he suffered in the aftermath.
Pauline McKee, an 87-year-old grandmother, wasn’t so lucky when she sued Iowa’s Isle Casino for a $42 million slot malfunction. McKee couldn’t prove that she deserved the money, especially since the game she played, Miss Kitty, was only programmed to pay a max of $10,000.