Casino blames software glitch
Imagine feeling as though you are a multi-millionaire — surrounded by well-wishers — and then being told something must have gone haywire in the slot machine, and it was out of order.
Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City says a software glitch cause a colossal dollar amount to flash on the slot screen, just after a northwest Indiana woman sat down to play. She says it happened inside the Blue Chip on January 11, at a penny slot machine like this called "China Shores."
"They give you a player's card. I inserted it into the machine and within 5 minutes um I think I was in shock," said Jennifer Carmin, casino customer.
Jennifer Carmin, who owns a small ad agency in Hobart, Indiana, saw ten numbers and a dollar sign.
ABC7's Chuck Goudie asks: "Did you know what those numbers meant?"
"I think I was still in shock and I said 2,800; 28,000. It just didn't click and then somebody stood behind me and they — she — they kept saying you won, you won 28.9 million and then that's when I looked and that's a lot of commas," said Carmin.
And she says a casino employee saw it.
"She was next to me. All I heard and saw, she started screaming 'supervisor!' at the top of her lungs. So I saw the numbers, heard 'supervisor!' and within 30 seconds a gentlemen approached me from the casino. He said 'Don't touch the machine,'" said Carmin.
In the chaos, she took a couple of pictures.
"I was scared. I put my hands up. I didn't know what was going on. He said 'We don't know how this happened, what's going on and he's like what did you do?' My heart, it just felt like it was pounding out of my chest. I said 'I'm a very excitable person and you are causing me stress right now. You're kinda scaring me.' He said, 'Don't touch the machine! Clear the machines! We have to shut down the machines!'" said Carmin. "They said they have to speak to the Gaming Commission."
In the lower level state gaming office, she filed this complaint and says instead of $28 million, the casino offered steak dinners to her and her boyfriend.
"I mean what are two steak dinners? I don't even like steak. I tried to explain that to them, they thought that was funny. I said I don't think that's funny. I'm pretty shaken up by this situation," said Carmin.
A few days later this letter from Indiana gaming regulators promised "a thorough review" and the state has hired an independent gambling equipment testing firm to help figure out what happened.
Blue Chip executives would not speak on camera. They did send the I-Team a series of diagrams that blame computer error for the mistaken $28 million figure. They say it appeared on Jennifer Carmin's customer account screen; as a "current balance" of promotional credits; but that it that it was not an actual cash jackpot with bells and whistles.
"You don't want to make the player feel like they did something wrong," said Cory Aronovitz, Casino Law Group.
Chicago attorney Cory Aronovitz is a gaming law expert and teaches casino law at John Marshal Law School. He says disclaimers posted on slot machines allow casinos to void payouts if there is a malfunction.
"I think after the emotion subsides, most reasonable people would say 'Yeah, that doesn't make sense. I was wagering 50 cents and it said $28 million and there was nothing on the sign that said i had an opportunity to win that.' Clearly it was an error," said Aronovitz.
Carmin says she didn't see any disclaimer, only the $28.8 million.
"I'm thinking I'm gonna pay off my mom's house. I'll pay off my best friend's house. I'll set something aside for my son. You have all of these all of a sudden dreams," said Carmin.
Goudie asks: "Do you think you actually deserve the 28 million?"
"They're always taking my money and I don't say: 'Umm is that computer wrong or did you overcharge me?' So I mean, yes, to answer your question," said Carmin.
In a phone conversation Blue Chip Casino executives told us the slot machine manufacturer has already fixed whatever software bug caused the problem. But the Indiana Gaming Commission hasn't figured out what caused it or what should be done. The state gaming director says he can't remember a claim of this magnitude by a casino patron.
Thanks to picnic for the tip.
Pay the Lady.............
Wow, interesting story... depending on how the ruling goes. Any casino can say "software glitch" and not pay. She's due something but not the full 28 milion (maybe a few hundred thousand or possibly even a 1 million) Thats a nice software glitch.
she should have take the steak dinners and given them to someone who likes steak. they owe her the amount she bet on that pull (.50) in the way of a credit on her next trip there. she deserves that at least but no more.
You can't play a penny machine and expect to win 28 million dollars. I agree a couple of dinners and a free night at the hotel is all they need to pay out.
Who expects to win 28 million off a penny slot? Even so 2 steak dinner coupons was pretty lame. At least offer to comp hotel and maybe offer a few hundred dollars in casino credit.
Carmin says she didn't see any disclaimer, only the $28.8 million.
"I'm thinking I'm gonna pay off my mom's house. I'll pay off my best friend's house. I'll set something aside for my son. You have all of these all of a sudden dreams," said Carmin.
Talking about see your life flash before your eyes, how do you see in your mind all this being done without one red cent in your hands.
When Ohio had its Buckeye5 game they paid $100,000 for a 5of5 match and it was clearly posted on the play slips that total payouts were capped at $1M regardless of the number of winners. So when a player brought 20 tickets that matched 5of5 and thought he won $2M and sued, he lost the case because the discliamer was where he could have read it.
The casino should have posted the maximum a player could expect to win on a penny machine if a certain amount was unreasonable.
Before Ohio's Super Lotto Plus(6/49+1) went down the drain Ohio posted the most one of its ticket could win was $20M regardless of the jackpot size and people stopped playing it 'cause jackpots of $50M+ didn't attract them but at least they knew the maximum they could win before they brought a ticket.
If I buy a $1 MM ticket and match 5of5 plus the bonus ball, I don't want to hear someone saying I shouldn't had expected to win such a large jackpot with just a dollar after it's done.
She probably knows she'll lose and is just trying to squeeze a settlement out of them. $28 million on a penny slot....excluding the hold that doesn't contribute to the progressive, that would be nearly 3 billion pennies without a jackpot payout!
They should pay her the top Jackpot amount that the machine she was playing would pay for a 50 cent bet.
Coin Toss would know the answer to this situation. He was a Pit Boss at the Casino's in Vegas.
Come on CT- throw in your 2cents here,straighten the Forum out with your insights Ol Chap.
"If a crystal ball showed you the future of the rest of your life, and in that future you will never win a jackpot, would you still play?"
Such a crystal ball would probably only be right 99.9999% of the time which means I still have a 0.0001% chance of winning.
I would never spend my money on Casinos. I do not trust Casinos.
That's just it. When you win big money, and they don't want to pay, they call it computer glitch. When you lose big money due to a computer glitch, nobody bothers to inform you about it and refund your money. JUST PAY THE LADY.......at least $2.8M. She deserves at least that much. This is America.
Honor the bet.
She didn't even WIN the jackpot on the slot machine. It was the plastic player card that glitched. The machine didn't go off no bells or whistles. No ring a ding ding. No matching fruit symbols. It was just her plastic (think hotel key) card. When they removed her card and reinserted it there were only 00/00. No reason to even think that you had won anything on the slot machine.
for someone who hates lotteries and casinos and gambling in general, you expend a lot of effort to tell everyone that nearly every day.
I wonder if she'd also be stupid enough to think it would be okay to cash a tax refund check for $28 million.
Something similar happened more than once at Winstar in OK several years ago. Don't remember the details except there was a big report on the news. The casino said it was a glitch.
They like taking it but they don't like giving it back...lol
PAY THE LADY.
noise-gate,
Well I wan't pit. I was dealer then box/floor but thanks.
As for the OP, the IGB (Indiana Gaming Board) will go with this:
"I think after the emotion subsides, most reasonable people would say 'Yeah, that doesn't make sense. I was wagering 50 cents and it said $28 million and there was nothing on the sign that said i had an opportunity to win that.' Clearly it was an error," said Aronovitz.
Carmin says she didn't see any disclaimer, only the $28.8 million.
"I'm thinking I'm gonna pay off my mom's house. I'll pay off my best friend's house. I'll set something aside for my son. You have all of these all of a sudden dreams," said Carmin.
Goudie asks: "Do you think you actually deserve the 28 million?"
"They're always taking my money and I don't say: 'Umm is that computer wrong or did you overcharge me?' So I mean, yes, to answer your question," said Carmin.
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Surely a $28 million jackpot would be posted all over the place. "Conde play our alots! Win $28 Million!"
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When you work in casinos you have to get a license. In Vegas it's called a Sherrif's card, other states call them badges, but you have to go through state gaming control, which is usually state troopers, at least for getting the badges. In Illinois the Illinois Gaming Board guys knews they had a good gig and were really courteous when they took your photo and fingerprinted you, Missouri, too.
The Indiana guys, on the other hand, treatEd you like they'd just arrested you. "SIT DOWN! LOOK AT THE CAMERA FOR YOUR PHOTO. NOW I'VE GOT TO GET YOUR PRINTS, COME OVER HERE."
Well that settles it then. Thanks CT.
Thanks noise-gate. Saylorgirl pretty well described the scenario in her post.
Also let me add if there was such a jackpot that machine would have been under surveillance from the eye in the sky and people on the floor.
The Tropicana in Vegs had a slot that had a $2M jackpot. Every time it jammed and they had to call a slot mechanic there was the mechanic and two security people. One of the mechanics was an absolute nervous wreck when he worked on that one slot.
For the people in this thread saying the woman should get paid, what is it she should get paid for?
Well, I've never played slots, don't think I've even been inside a casino, I'm guessing expecting a large payout on slot machines seem ridiculous to people who have played it. Not seeing how it's any more ridiculous than expecting $656,000,000 from a $1 investment. Seems to me that if the payout wasn't ridiculous compared to what gets put in, very few would play. How many would keep playing if the ticket price was $100?
The more ridiculous payout is what would help lure customers in to one casino over another I would think. An outrageous amount doesn't seem weird to me at all. I'd simply figure they'd have it so the odds were astronomical.
CT, I don't think it's about herself deserving anything. It's about the casino showing good faith. It raises people's suspicions when a claim of a computer glitch is given as a reason to avoid making a payment in a gambling establishment. There is already a sense that these places aren't trustworthy. It creates negative media attention they'll have to overcome; plus now they're going to spend how much on lawyers to prove they don't deserve to pay anything.
Why not take that money and give it to her as a show of good faith. Not the $28 million, but the money they're going to shell out to quash this thing anyway. Money is going to be coming out of their pockets no matter what, why not give it to her instead of the lawyers?
What should she get paid for? I say give her 28,000 and a weekend in the top suite with comps for food and a show, its just to keep the players happy and not bad mouthing you casino. Since the shows food and rooms are paid for by the losers the only thing they'd be losing is the 28 grand, but that's a drop in the bucket to what they win. If I was the Casino owner I'd probably have those machines checked and doulbe checked to make sure that NEVER happened again and put that disclaimer on the back of their cards they stick in the machines
Pay HER!
That will happen to me when i hit a jackpot. Sorry stupid, it was a glitch and your still a loser. Here's a few Chimichangos for your pain and suffering.
"You're gonna have to use your own microwave if you want them hot."