Why Was the Arizona Jackpot Hitter Paid Off?

I read about the Arizona man who won a jackpot and Gaming Control found him to pay him off after a malfunction and investigation. I thought it was set in stone, or at least written on every slot machine (to the players’ detriment), that ALL malfunctions void play. So is that rule actually flexible? How come they actually paid him off if there was a malfunction?

In case you haven't heard, a slot player hit a $230,000 progressive jackpot at Treasure Island on January 8. But there was a problem.

According to a press release from the Nevada Gaming Control Board, "The slot machine experienced a communication malfunction that prevented the player and casino personnel from realizing that a progressive jackpot had been won. By the time an extensive review of the slot machine and the communications technology was completed, confirming the jackpot had been won, the player had returned home to Arizona."

But when the jackpot was confirmed, the GCB "initiated an extensive investigation, conducted by multiple agents of the Board’s Enforcement Division, to obtain the identity of the patron. The investigation included the review of multiple hours of surveillance footage across multiple gaming properties, numerous witness interviews, a study of electronic purchase records, and the analysis of rideshare data obtained from the Nevada Transportation Authority and a rideshare company. When the GCB successfully identified the player, they notified him and he returned to Treasure Island to collect his jackpot."

The press release concludes, “The Nevada Gaming Control Board is charged with ... ensuring that the public trust in the gaming industry remains strong. (Control Board agents) spent countless hours over two weeks to ensure that a patron was awarded winnings owed to him.”

As for the malfunction issue, Michael Lawton, senior researcher for the Nevada Gaming Control Board, clarified that situation for us.

“In some cases, a malfunction can void a game, but in this case, the game itself was completed and it was a valid jackpot. The problem, in this situation, was the communication error after the jackpot between the machine and the vendor.”

Note the “some cases” in Mr. Lawton's response. Of course, we've heard and written about plenty of cases in which slot machine malfunctions (real or imagined) have allowed casinos to void jackpots, but apparently, malfunctions do not automatically favor the house, depending on the circumstances.

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Comments

Kevin Lewis Feb-21-2022

How noble of them

...to actually pay somebody who won. And yeah, it's kinda feel-good that they went to so much trouble to track the guy down. But they made dang sure that everyone knew about it, and I suspect that they got at least $2.3 million worth of good publicity for paying the guy his $230,000.

Old slogan: "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." New slogan: "Win, and we'll actually pay you." Not a trivial consideration, as many who have hit jackpots at Indian casinos have discovered.

jstewa22 Feb-21-2022

why didn't the player know?

I wonder why the player didn't realize that he hit a jackpot.

Donzack Feb-21-2022

Communication

Was the “communication problem” simply that the machines computer reached a jackpot but did not show on the players screen the proper display and the jackpot was triggered on management’s recording?

Donzack Feb-21-2022

IGT

Was it the type of payout that IGT sends out an agent? Did IGT catch the mistake? Anyone know of this happening before?

Kevin Rough Feb-21-2022

Slots

Most slots players hit that spin button so fast that they don't watch the reels.  And quite a number of them wouldn't know they won by just looking at how the reels lined up.  The machine never locked so the guy kept spinning.

O2bnVegas Feb-21-2022

to avoid cheating

I've always thought (perhaps incorrectly), that the label "malfunctions  void play" is/was more to insure that players didn't get away with tweaking machines to make payoff symbols occur.  I'd read that 'back in the day' there were ways to do that.  In this case, it was made certain that this was not the case, once the glitch was discovered.  Kudos to everybody involved who made a lot of effort to identify the glitch and then indentify the person who was legitimately owed the money, locate him, contact him, and pay him.  Wow!  JMHO.

Candy

Jackie Feb-21-2022

I would be more interest in

Knowing just how they figured all of this out.
1. That the win happened (communication failed).
2. Which machine.
3. When (exact moment)
4. Which casino
5. Which player
6. How identified (player card, video tracking to suite or ride)
7. Have a suspect but how was he verified as the actual winner (could have lied).

Get back in touch with the GCB contact for details.
Non of that info should be classified.

Sean Lowery Feb-21-2022

Lucky Break for the Winner

It’s a good story.  I’m glad they tracked down the winner and he/she got paid.  However, before I get too excited about the nobility of the action, I understand that this was a progressive jackpot.  Therefore, it had to get paid out and reset at the lowest level.  So, any decision to void the payout in this instance would not have really benefited the casino.

ThinkerT Feb-21-2022

People are way too cynical

This is good for everyone, not just in publicity for the casino or the player. Countless times I've heard at the tables "the casino can make the cards come out any way they want!". Things like this demonstrate that things are tightly regulated and there are processes in place to ensure the players are treated fairly and that casinos aren't in it (or at least aren't easily able) to rip off the players.

Question of the Day - 21 February 2022

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