Biggest Slot Malfunction "Wins" in History

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Biggest Slot Malfunction "Wins" in History

Image by Bruno /Germany from Pixabay

Imagine playing a slot machine and being lucky enough to land a massive win - it must be one of the best feelings in the world.

But what happens if the slot was deemed to have malfunction, with that win declared void?

It must be a crushing blow for anyone who has gone through this experience, with trust breaking down as a result of not being paid the money they thought they had won.

While DogSlots list the biggest progressive jackpot wins here, we have taken a look at some individuals who were denied their life-changing wins as a result of slot malfunctions.

It seems that the house always wins - even when slot games tell players they have won!

Katrina Bookman - $42.9 million

An American woman named Katrina Bookman launched a lawsuit against Resorts World Casino in New York City after it refused to pay out a jackpot win on a slot game.

Not right, she should get it

Bookman thought that she won a jackpot worth $42.9 million until she was told by casino staff that the slot game she was playing had malfunctioned.

They offered her a steak dinner and a measly $2.25 but Bookman and her lawyers argued that she should receive the full winnings that were displayed on the slot machine at the time.

However, the Mafia88 slot that Bookman was playing at the casino has a top jackpot of $6,500.

Bookman claimed that as a result of being denied the life-changing amount of money thanks to the slot game malfunction, she had been affected by anxiety and depression.

But "malfunctions void all pays and plays", said the New York State Gaming Commission.

Pauline McKee - $41.8 million

Bookman's attempts to recover the millions she thought she had won are unlikely to be successful if Pauline McKee's earlier case is anything to go by.

The grandmother, who was 90 when her case went to court, thought she had won $41.8 million on a video penny slot machine, but the casino she was visiting said there was a glitch.

It was claimed that McKee should have only won 185 credits - or $1.85 in cash - and she pledged to take the Isle Casino Hotel in Waterloo to court.

McKee lost, though she appeared relatively sanguine about the incident afterwards.

"I had my doubts from the start, because that's a lot of money for a penny machine," McKee, who has 13 grandchildren, told the Chicago Tribune.

"I was hoping to help my children out financially, but it wasn't meant to be."

An investigation that was carried out by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission found that the Miss Kitty game allowed a bonus up to $10,000 to be won, but examinations were unable to work out why the game said McKee had won millions of dollars on a spin of the reels.

Florida Eash - $1 million

The Mississippi State Gaming Commission initially said Florida Eash should be paid the $1 million she thought she had won on a $5 slot game.

But this decision was later overturned, with the American told she would only be paid $8,000 because the slot game had malfunctioned.

The casino where Eash won the money said the game had been mistakenly programmed as a progressive jackpot game, which often offer life-changing amounts of cash to players.

"It's not my fault that I hit the machine and won that jackpot," said Eash in an interview with WLOX. "And they admitted they're the ones that set it up by mistake. Mistake is mistake. You have to pay for it if you make a mistake."

She was left disappointed, however, with her daughter Celeste noting it had been "emotionally draining" to be told the $1 million win would stand, only for the decision to be changed.

Paul Kusznirewicz - $42.9 million

Georgian Downs Casino in Innisfil refused to pay out a $42.9 million slot game win to player Pawel Kusznirewicz on the grounds that there was a malfunction more than 10 years ago.

Yeah, not a happy camper

Kusznirewicz and his friends were offered dinner on the house but he instead pledged to take the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) to court over the incident.

Supervisors working at the casino said the two-cent machine he was playing was broken and should not have shown any wins larger than a bonus worth up to $9,000.

Kusznirewicz argued that the Buccaneer slot machine did not display a maximum win and his lawyer Bryan McPhadden told the Star: "All the normal lights, bells and the like associated with a win were shown on the machine and this is what attracted the OLG floor attendant to go to the machine."

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