Frederick Jace
System errors can occur anywhere where computers are used. In any case, they cause a lot of trouble for companies and their customers, regardless of whether it is a bank, a cash box, or a casino. In the following article, you’ll find out about system errors in casinos not blocked by Gamestop.
System errors have always been a thing. There was one case in June 2016 when the Deutsche Bank booked transactions twice. The outcry was relatively great because it happened on a Friday. Even though the whole thing was cleared up after the weekend, some conspiracy theorists came on the scene.
There have been similar software problems at various casinos. For example, winnings are booked incorrectly, resulting in higher winnings that cannot always be explained by the pictures on the slots.
You can find reports all over the world that casinos do not pay out winnings due to system errors, but rather put off the players with different prizes or even a meal. As a rule, it is quite difficult to fight for profit. Nevertheless, players always try to get at least part of their winnings.
43 Million Euros Jackpot at Casino Bregenz
On March 26, 2010, a Swiss player cracked a jackpot in Casino Bregenz in Austria – at least the machine showed it. Behar Merlaku and his wife had hoped for 43 million euros. After a few moments, the staff came up to him and said that it was a mistake, a software bug. What sounded like a bad joke turned bitterly serious. Behar Merlaku had filmed the machine, the evening, and the staff examining the machine for the jackpot display.
In the end, he called the police, who mainly talked to the casino employees and ignored him. He wanted to emphasize his demands. The dispute between the player and the casino ended in the courts, the player was represented by the lawyer Thomas Kerle.
The Innsbruck lawyer had no understanding of the casino’s reasoning. It was argued that it was a software error, as the maximum winnings at the machine were limited to 4,500 euros. A corresponding note was also in English on the machine, but the lawyer said that it was not enough, as the official language in Austria was German.
The casino offered the player €500,000 in compensation, which would have been 1.16% of the jackpot amount. The case went to court, but the amount in dispute was 5 million euros, as the plaintiff in Austria has to pay court costs in advance and these are based on the amount in dispute.
In October 2012, after several negotiations in court, the two parties reached an out-of-court settlement. The casino had adjusted the amount of compensation to 1 million euros.
Steak Dinner Instead of $ a 43 Million Jackpot
It was one of the most exciting gambling disputes in 2016. At the end of the year, Katrina Bookman had played on a “Sphinx Slot Machine”. For a few minutes, she thought that she had won the biggest jackpot ever paid out in the USA and took selfies of herself and the machine. When she went to pick up the $43 million win, an employee at Resorts World Casino in Queens, New York, said it was just a display error. Thus, she didn’t win anything, but the casino still bought her a steak dinner as a goodwill gesture and paid out the actual winnings of $2.25.
According to her lawyer, Katrina Bookman did not accept the offer. The New York State Gaming Commission confirmed during an investigation that the machine was malfunctioning. The player herself fought for months to win, but finally, a lawsuit was brought against Resorts World Casino, the video lottery operator on June 14, 2017.
According to the indictment, the casino acted negligently because the slot machines were not properly maintained. It is also postulated that Bookman suffered mental agony and suffered a significant monetary setback as she lost the chance to win at the slot machine.
So far, there have been no new developments in the case, so overall we have to wait and see whether the lawsuit will succeed. The lawyer wanted to sue for $43 million in damages, experts believe that winning the case is unlikely.
$ 43 Million Jackpot in Colorado Not Paid Out
The American Louise Chavez experienced a similar case in March 2010. She had played one evening at the Fortune Valley Casino in Central City and for a brief moment thought that she had won the big jackpot. But here, too, the casino staff informed her that it was a system error.
The jackpot at the time was $42,949,673, which would have been a significant life change for Chavez, as she otherwise only makes $12,000 annually as an in-home personal care provider.
The casino informed her at the time that a jackpot playout was not possible in Colorado and that it must be a display error. The maximum win at the slot is limited to 251,000 dollars.
At the time, as a goodwill gesture, the casino offered to bear the costs for rooms and meals. In addition, they wanted to pay her a stake of 20 dollars.
Chavez wanted to fight for her money and had also hoped for an agreement with the casino and slot machine manufacturer WMS Industries, but she was only offered the actual profit of 23 dollars and a few cents. That’s all there is about this case.
Conclusion
In the end, system errors are a nuisance for all parties. The players lose trust in the systems, are angry at the casinos or game manufacturers and the gaming providers themselves have to bring up all the cases and avoid negative publicity, as this could be detrimental to their business.
But the cases show that fighting for a profit sometimes pays off. Usually, you don’t get the full amount, but the casinos try to find out-of-court solutions so that sometimes you get something in the end.
