Katrina Bookman has a bone to pick with the casino operators at Resorts World Casino in Queens, New York after last year it appeared she had won $43 million from one of their slot machines, but all she was offered in front of the brightly lit display was a complimentary steak dinner and $2.25.
The impressive jackpot would have been the largest sum of money to be won on the slots since U.S. gambling was established. However, this did not make her second-guess the authenticity of the sum displayed on the screen of the machine in August last year and she even snapped a selfie with the numerous digits, which is one of the leading evidences in the case they have filed in court.
The casino is obliged to keep their slot machines in good condition and to run a regular check on them. However, the casino personnel claimed that in fact, she has not won anything, because the enormous figure displayed on the slot machine screen was in result of a malfunction in the system of the slot machine.
Courthouse News Service reports that Bookman claimed that immediately after she called someone from the staff to arrange the payment of her jackpot, she was escorted to the entrance of the casino by a couple of casino managers who told her she should return to the casino on the next day in order to hear the “decision” of the personnel regarding the prize she had just won.
On the following day she returned on site and was offered as a compensation a steak dinner on the house and the additional $2.25, which was her balance left in the machine. Bookman refused to accept both of the of compensations offered to her and instead fell very embarrassed and according to her later she began suffering from depression. The casino issued an apologetic statement shortly after the accident, stating that “machine malfunctions are rare” and apologizing for the inconvenience.
After a year of fruitless efforts of the attorney Bookman has hired, Alan Ripka to get the casino to pay his client the sum of money, on the 14th of June they decided to file a lawsuit against the Resorts World Casino, as well as video lottery operator Genting New York LLC and slot machine maker International Game Technology. Ripka explains that his client is not on the pursuit of the full $42 million, but only the maximum sum of money which could be payed, as stated on the machine – $6,500.
In a following inspection of the property in August last year the New York State Gaming Commission has confirmed that the unfortunate situation which occurred is indeed a result of a mere malfunction of the machine and that there was a visible disclaimer on the screen stating that “Malfunctions void all pays and plays.”
