58 million.....

[jay]

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-buzz/gambler-denied-58m-jackpot-over-slot-machine-software-163247817.html

When the fruit stops spinning after you pull a slot machine lever and the lights start flashing and bells start ringing, most people would assume they've won.

That is exactly what happened to Behar Merlaku when he was playing at an Austrian casino, but instead of walking out of the casino with $58 million (43 million euros), he was offered $100 and a free meal.

Merlaku, a Swiss national, was playing when he saw four out of five matches appear earlier this year. Even though the machine told him he won, the casino bosses said the jackpot was due to a "software error."

"When I won I was ecstatic and of course I relied upon it being a real jackpot which it was. I saw it on the screen," he said to Austrian newspaper Heute according to the Austrian Times. "But then the disappointment came when two casino workers came to me and said there was a software error. They took me for a fool which I am not. I've played in many casinos and I know the way the cookie crumbles. It doesn't concern me if they have a software problem."

Now Merlaku is about to launch a lawsuit against the casino and go after his winnings. According to the Daily Mail, Merlaku's lawyers say he is entitled to the money because that is what the machine said.

When the casino offered him the small amount of money and food as compensation he rejected the offer and was banned from the casino. He said that since the incident he hasn't be able to sleep and constantly thinks about the injustice.

The same thing happened to an Ontario gambler in 2009. Paul Kusznirewicz thought we had won $42.9 million after the winning lights and sounds went off at a slot machine at Georgian Downs just north of Toronto. An OLG floor attendant initially told Kusznirewicz to go to the winners circle, but other employees soon after told him he wouldn't receive any money because of a "machine malfunction."

Similarly, they offered him a free dinner at the buffet. Kusznirewicz also claimed to suffer from anxiety, depression and insomnia from the incident. He hired a lawyer and sued the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.

As for Merlaku, he will do what it takes to get his money.

"I will fight for this until my death," he said in an Austrian Times article. "It is outrageous what they have done to me and my family. I want to spread what happened to me all over Europe. I don't accept it."

According to Austrian law, jackpots can't normally be higher than two million euros.

Merlaku will launch the lawsuit next month, which is sure to be watched by gaming operators around the world.

[stayouttadabunker]

If Austrian law says 2 million bucks is the max - that's what he should get.
It's not the player's fault there was a misconfiguration in the display settings
and it displayed 58 million bucks - THAT'S the casino's fault?

Let the casino's lawyers go after the display maker if they want. 

The display maker will blame the floor employee who programmed it
and he will sue his teacher
who will sue his mother for allowing him to be submitted to such a school with poor teachers
who will sue the school commission for making them work for low pay which they then will sue the country for not giving them enough funds
and the government will raise the school taxes
and the people won't elect their local politician to a second term....

Basically when it comes down to it....everybody will sue everybody in the world!  
I will start by beginning legal actions against myself for writing such a stupid post...LOL

[uniman]

The stories are always so vague. Spinning fruit?? Bells ringing?? What is this, the 70's??
They never get to the details like what manufacture, game, and what really happened. 

[jay]

I think the line that reads "malfunctions void all pays and plays" is pretty straight forward.
I however don't believe that the majority of these are machine malfunctions.

It sounds like 4 of 5 symbols is at best a second level jackpot - which is probably the instigator for bells and such.
The fact that it says 58mm (perhaps a progressive win ?) is NOT a function of a machine or software glitch it is employee programming.

I don't know of any paytable that ends in 580,000 which would be the dollar amount if this was a 1c machine and it accidently displayed credits instead of coin but it would be consistant with the 2mm Auzzie limit.

If it can be proven that this is a progressive - programming error - by an employee, the casino should then be obligated to pay out the second level award.

I would also like to see goverments take stricter action against the casinos.
Ie If a software error is suspected then you could extrapolate that all of the machines of that theme (or even brand) could potentially carry that bug.
I would immediately insist that all of those machines would be shut down until the manufacturer can guarentee that the machine is now in 100% working order.
I think it is a safe bet that the casino would "feel" the loss of revenue and the manufacturers would quickly point out that this is a casino error and not a machine error.

[stayouttadabunker]

At these casinos, I wonder if a casino employee programmed the progressive or
was it programmed by a casino industry company such as IGT, Bally, etc.etc...
We almost never hear the complete details except that the player was offered a free meal...   

[Mirage_Chaser]

As a casino employee allow me to give my $.02.

In the organizations that I have worked in all progressive programing has been done by the us (casino technicians). That is unless it is a wide area progressive, i.e. wheel of fortune or a participation game that is still owned by the vendor. On the rare occasion that a mistake has been made in the setup of the game- like mistaking a credit entry for a dollar entry on a $.01 game- the casino paid the jackpot and promptly shut down the game. In our case however it was only $70000US not several million.

Also there have been very rare occasions where we have been alerted to a glitch in the software, at that point we identify all games on the floor with that software and shut them down and contact the manufacturer (that is unless it is the manufacturer that contacts us in the first place). Those machines will stay down until the software has been repaired or it has been deemed an isolated incident.

In situations like this there is a lot of passing the buck but if there was a flaw in the software then the company that made the software is responsible. And that my friends is why "malfunction voids all pays and plays" is on all the machines. But I can say that in my more than 10 years in the tech department I have almost never seen a machine pay incorrectly (or not pay as the case may be) that was assembled and configured correctly.

[stayouttadabunker]

Excellent answer M_C !  

The "Malfunction Voids All Pays And Plays" is one of the most important rules that
the casinos have in order to protect themselves from events like this.

However, it's the word "Malfunction" that confuses players...  
That word is extremely broad and covers a wide sort of situations -
is it limited in a casino environment in any way?
It even covers human errors as in programming?

[Bettor Slots]

Semi-related story for you about machine / staff malfunction and the crappy compensation offered to the patron.

I was at Horseshoe Southern Indiana a few months back.  At one point I found myself surrounded by 3 uniformed security guards, the security manager, and the casino manager.  The security manager accused me of picking up a $300 ticket off the floor and cashing it in at a terminal.  She was extremely rude and condescending to me.  She was sure "she got her man".  I got seriously pissed off at her tone with me and let her know on the spot...aside from the fact I did not do it.  I did in fact cash out a $303.17 ticket just two minutes prior.  I went on to explain the exact last 3 machines that I played at...the exact amount I put into each machine and the exact amount I cashed out thus explaining the exact amount on the ticket I cashed out.  She decided it prudent to get 6" away from my face and screamed at me "I KNOW you did it".  And then she threw this print out in front of me of the computer terminal log with time/ dates and validation numbers.  And I then returned as loud as I could for everyone around to hear "I sure as hell DID NOT do it and you better get your shit straight before accusing someone of stealing".

At this point the casino manager stepped in to calm things down.  He was professional and said "if you would, please take us to the last 3 machines you played at".  LOL...so off we went like a parade through the casino...3 guards within 5' of me at all times and the two managers followed.  After that the manager said "would you mind waiting in this area while we review the tapes".  So there I sat...with the 3 guards next to me....and it ended up being 45 minutes.  

Finally the security manager bitch and casino manager came back out and her face was beet red....I am certain she just got her ass reamed royally.  Miraculously the 3 guards around me disappeared at the same instance so they must have got the "get the hell out of here nod".  She gave me a half ass apology and said "after review of the tapes we found that the ticket in question was cashed 2 seconds prior to yours and for $2 less than yours, so you were right".  And then she said "the man we are looking for was wearing a hat and a red coat".  I replied "really...no shit?  as you can see my jacket is green and I have not worn a hat in 20 years...".     She then went on to hand me two buffet passes and then raised her voice as if she was excited to tell me something "and HERE with this letter you can get a FREE room at the hotel any time you want".  I handed everything back to her and said "AGAIN you did not do your research...I am a Diamond member here and get free buffets and free rooms any dang night of the week with a phone call." And then said   " what I would really like is for you two to get the hell away from me".  Her eyes got huge and turned 3 more shades of red and looked like she just got slammed with a baseball bat.  After that the casino manager patted me on the back...LOL...and said "we are really very sorry" and off they went.

Malfunctions happen...both on machines and staff.  But the way casinos deal with THEIR problems and how they compensate the patron should be greatly improved.  

[staz]

why would you get in trouble if you found a ticket on the floor...... what you suppose to do if you find a ticket? through it out? lol...... i cant count how many times i sat at a $5 WOF and theres like a few dollors in it as the cash out light flashes..... people always forget there tickets in the machines.....

[Bettor Slots]

why would you get in trouble if you found a ticket on the floor...... what you suppose to do if you find a ticket? through it out? lol...... i cant count how many times i sat at a $5 WOF and theres like a few dollors in it as the cash out light flashes..... people always forget there tickets in the machines.....

Well I think there is a BIG difference between finding a ticket with a couple dollars on it and one that has a few hundred dollars on it.  It's not any different than finding someones wallet on the floor full of cash.  You do the right thing and turn it in.

[staz]

i def would turn in a wallet i just wouldnt go out of my way turning in a few dollors on a ticket.......

[Bettor Slots]

i def would turn in a wallet i just wouldnt go out of my way turning in a few dollors on a ticket.......

Well then you misread what I wrote above....the ticket in question that a patron dropped did not have just a few dollars on it...it had a few hundred dollars on it...so like a lost wallet...I am sure they wanted it back.

[IFFV68]

This is 2011.
Almost everyone is a little worried about the future & their financial situation, including the Casino's.
Yes I know. A 50 million $$ Payout probably has ten times that amount paid in, but, they still don't want to pay it if they can get out of it.

I would think Casino's would do everything they could to VOID a big pay out. Either installing  software incorrect, by mistake or intentionally.
The customers are a necessary evil. We hope we can win, they know they will win.
It is What it is.

My $.02 worth

[Mirage_Chaser]

No doubt some people inside the casino and out have poor people skills. That is not something that would have been condoned where I work. We don't handle things like that.

Excellent answer M_C !  

The "Malfunction Voids All Pays And Plays" is one of the most important rules that
the casinos have in order to protect themselves from events like this.

However, it's the word "Malfunction" that confuses players...  
That word is extremely broad and covers a wide sort of situations -
is it limited in a casino environment in any way?
It even covers human errors as in programming?

We almost never pull that card. Every time a mistake was made by a person on our staff we paid. Once top glasses were switched and instead of triple red 7's being $1000 it was $5000 we paid. I think that in most cases make the player happy and you get the money back many times over.

This is 2011.
Almost everyone is a little worried about the future & their financial situation, including the Casino's.
Yes I know. A 50 million $$ Payout probably has ten times that amount paid in, but, they still don't want to pay it if they can get out of it.

I would think Casino's would do everything they could to VOID a big pay out. Either installing  software incorrect, by mistake or intentionally.
The customers are a necessary evil. We hope we can win, they know they will win.
It is What it is.

We get that all the time. Every one thinks we are going to try and not pay them. It never happens. At my casino it is policy to play off the win so it won't get paid twice. Playing it off insures that the jackpot was keyed off and that someone else (or the same player) cant claim the jackpot a second time. And all the time I get people refusing to play it off until they get paid. Like I said it doesn't happen one valid complaint can cost a casino millions in loss of play and fines (at least in the US) and besides almost all of the really big jackpots are paid but manufacturers.

[uniman]

why would you get in trouble if you found a ticket on the floor...... what you suppose to do if you find a ticket? through it out? lol...... i cant count how many times i sat at a $5 WOF and theres like a few dollors in it as the cash out light flashes..... people always forget there tickets in the machines.....

In Nevada any token, ticket, or chip on the floor is property of casino and you have no right to redeem it unless you dropped it of course.
Any monies left in the machine are also property of the casino. Not always enforced though.

Bettor Slots, I just knew before I saw it that your ticket would have a "17" in it!    (from a different thread)

[knagl]

Someone posted the attached image on NLG a long time ago -- they worked at a casino where a malfunctioning player tracking/bonus trigger device sent a random bonus to a slot machine.

The player did NOT get paid (nor should they have, in this case).

[Mirage_Chaser]

Yea not in every instance did we pay. Maybe 9 years ago we had these old cyberdyne (I can't remember how it is spelled) bartops that if you kicked the belly door it would spit out a ticket for $16,000,000. So that is a "malfunction voids all pays and plays" moment. But in that case and the one posted by knagl they were true malfunctions not human error which is were we have traditionally still payed the guest.

[jay]

Wasn't Cyberdyne the company that built Sky-Net ....

[Mirage_Chaser]

Yes I guess it is...

[CaptainHappy]

 

CH

[StatFreak]

...
At my casino it is policy to play off the win so it won't get paid twice. Playing it off insures that the jackpot was keyed off and that someone else (or the same player) cant claim the jackpot a second time. And all the time I get people refusing to play it off until they get paid. ...

I fully understand the casino's need/desire/policy to have a hand pay combination cleared before concluding the payout or leaving the machine. However, legally (at least in Nevada) the patron cannot be forced to do this with their own money as a condition of payment. If the casino insists and the patron refuses, the casino can and should use their own funds to play off the win (and of course keep any proceeds from the spin off).

If the casino forces the player to play it off they are in violation of gaming law. Once a wager is made and won (outcome determined), no party can compel another wager as a condition of paying off (settling) the previously completed wager. Gaming law trumps any in-house policy.

Most players don't mind making another bet – and I've always played off my hand pays in the past, but when push comes to shove, the casino wouldn't have a leg to stand on if they refused a payment on the grounds that the patron refused to place another wager to clear the jackpot display.

[stayouttadabunker]

What and why are they trying to make a player "play it off"?
The machine ends that game - when it is reset by the attendant key?  

Trying to force a player to make another bet is ridiculous.  
What if the machine's Min. bet is a $100 dollars? or one penny - it doesn't matter.
No casino is allowed to force a player to make a gambling bet of ANY kind.

If a casino wants to remove the winning combo, then they should use their own money and the "pull" does not count.
However, I don't see any valid reason to "play off" the winning combination.
The number of the game played when the winning combination was hit,  is all that's needed
to be recorded - to eliminate anyone else claiming a false hit.

Also, anyone claiming a false hit should be prosecuted to the full extent of gaming laws -
the shoe can fit into either mouth.

[kforeman]

What and why are they trying to make a player "play it off"?
The machine ends that game - when it is reset by the attendant key? 

Trying to force a player to make another bet is ridiculous. 
What if the machine's Min. bet is a $100 dollars? or one penny - it doesn't matter.
No casino is allowed to force a player to make a gambling bet of ANY kind.

If a casino wants to remove the winning combo, then they should use their own money and the "pull" does not count.
However, I don't see any valid reason to "play off" the winning combination.
The number of the game played when the winning combination was hit,  is all that's needed
to be recorded - to eliminate anyone else claiming a false hit.

Also, anyone claiming a false hit should be prosecuted to the full extent of gaming laws -
the shoe can fit into either mouth.

however it is policy at my casino to ask the winning guest to play off the winning combination.  we only ask and would never threaten nonpayment if refused, that's a bit extreme and without warrant.  the reasoning is to avoid disputes; a small percentage of casino patrons are a little shady and will look for machines with winning combinations on them and ask to be paid.  these are the same guests who search out as many 3¢ tickets as they can find to shove into the 1¢ keno machines and end up playing for hours off of a few bucks that wasn't even theirs to begin with.  they also like to sit down at a machine with a flashing candle light - top or bottom, it doesn't matter - and grab the nearest casino employee and ask for help; usually they find a new security guard who knows zero about the machines so said security guard calls a floor person or slot tech for assistance and we spend 20 minutes trying to explain to the guest that we don't owe them any money for them having to "wait an hour for help."
the playing off of a winning combination is simply to reduce the situations that these types of guests look for.  several years ago i had a guy cussing me out because i showed him on the machine that the royal flush displayed on his machine was won 3 hours prior to him sitting down.  in his defense he was totally wasted and reeked of booze but he still should have understood the basic principals of time...   this would have been avoided had the royal been played off.
if our guests refuse to play off a winning combination we will check out a few bucks and play it off ourselves; its a PITA and theres a mile long paper trail so its much easier on us if the guest will do it.

[reho33]

Here in PA, if you even find a ticket with .01 on it and use it, you are guilty of "Theft By Unlawful Taking". so even if I saw a ticket for 5 cents, I would not touch it.

[jay]

Reho when citing law you need to keep in context that PA is also the home of:
   Intercourse
   Blue Ball
   Mount Joy
   Bareville
   etc


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercourse,_Pennsylvania

Lived in Cranberry PA for 7 years, nothing is how it should be.