Has a Casino Ever Refused To Pay a Jackpot Hit by an Underage Player?

Years ago, a casino operator told me a story. Someone hit one of their slot machines for a huge amount of money, but before the winner was paid off, the casino looked at a videotape of the play and discovered that the person claiming to be the winner was not the person who'd put the money into the machine and pulled the handle. An underage kid had done it and when he hit the jackpot, his father ran up, shoved the kid aside, and the father claimed to have been playing the machine, because he knew the casino would not pay off a minor. And as a result of looking at the tape, the casino refused to pay off. Do you think this story is true? Could it be true?

Yes, this story can definitely be true and we definitely believe that it is.

The casinos have strict rules about who can claim winnings, particularly with progressive jackpots.

In the first place, as we've written about many times in Question of the Day, only the person who physically activates the machine (by pulling the lever or pressing the button) is eligible to win the payout. Second, in every jurisdiction we know of, it’s illegal for minors to gamble and if a casino catches an underage player, it has a legal obligation to not only give him or her the bum's rush, but to deny any payouts. Failure to do so puts the casino in hot water.

In your story, since an underage player hit the jackpot, that would automatically disqualify the jackpot. Likewise, the father attempting to claim the jackpot after the fact would not be allowed to do so, since he didn't press the button.

As for surveillance reviewing the videotape, absolutely. When large sums of money are involved, especially in the case of a progressive jackpot, it’s standard practice for casinos to review the footage to verify who was playing the machine, whether the win was legitimate, and if there was any technical error or foul play. And that's for situations where there isn't any suspicion about the circumstances of the win. In this case, the attempted switcheroo would almost certainly have attracted someone's attention, prompting an immediate surveillance review.

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Comments

O2bnVegas Oct-17-2024

Caesars

It was said the dad contested the decision, went to court over it, etc.  Long time ago, can't be certain but that's what I heard or read.  Dad lost (and rightly so).

Gregory Oct-17-2024

Here it is...

It happened in 1988...
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-11-24-mn-681-story.html#:~:text=A%2019%2Dyear%2Dold%20man,was%20not%20at%20least%2021.

T. Ferguson Oct-17-2024

jackpot

But what happens to the money that was 'won'?  Does the casino keep it?

Raymond Oct-17-2024

Who Was Playing

I haven't seen a minor hit a jackpot and then have the adult try to claim it, but I did see someone try to steal a jackpot at video poker at NYNY once by claiming she was the player and not the little old man who hit it.  I was playing two seats away, and when things got heated, I told the security guard what I saw (as did a couple of other players).  

They went to the video and the right player got the money; I don't know what happened to the woman who tried to steal it.

Thomas Dikens Oct-17-2024

Rest of the story

I was told the story years ago, that it happened at the Mandalay Bay and that the prize was $1 million and that the minor was not paid. There was a sad addition to the story, in those days mandalay Bay employees were allowed to gamble in the casino when they were off. One of the dealers hit the same Machine, again, I was told it was for $1 million. What are the things she bought was a new car and in that car she had an accident while her sister was with her, if I remember correctly, the sister was killed and the dealer was severely injured. After that, the machine was just considered to be bad luck and it was eventually taken out. I can't say if any of that is true or not but it was the story I was told. –

Gregory Oct-17-2024

RE: Who Was Playing

I saw something similar.  A woman and her daughter were playing keno machines side by side right next to me. One of them hit a handpay, the winner tried to swap players cards to try to have whoever had the tax advantage get the W-2G.  I said nothing. When the slot attendant came by to pay she was able to tell they were trying to pull a fast one.  These days, when a jackpot is trigged, an alert is sent over the house network to handheld devices carried by the slot staff. That info shows the players card info, as well as the amount and machine number.  People think they outsmart technology, but they can't.

hawks242424 Oct-18-2024

Losses

I'm sure the casino is happy to keep the losses of an underage player.

Question of the Day - 17 October 2024

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