There’s enjoying a hot winning streak at the casino, and then there’s winning $11 million in a hot streak at the casino.
Jacqueline Davis, of Detroit, must have scarcely believed her luck when a series of wins while playing at the brand’s online casino netted her a whopping $11 million.
She must have been so surprised that she kept on playing the St Patrick Day themed game ‘Luck O’ the Roulette’ – eventually her bankroll fell to $3 million.
Realising that, actually, cashing out might be a smart thing to do, Davis contacted BetMGM in order to initiate the payout process.
They agreed that the lucky Michigan native could head to her local BetMGM land-based casino to pick up a $100,000 advance. However, when Davis got there she was told that the brand would not be paying out anymore than the six-figure sum.
When quizzed as to why, a spokesperson for BetMGM claimed that there was a ‘glitch’ in the game, and that Davis was not eligible for the full win amount.
Naturally, she said about putting a legal case together, and her lawyer – David Steingold – has claimed in court that while the roulette/slot hybrid title might have had a glitch, the casino should not be able to use that as an excuse for non-payment.
He also detailed the extraordinary amount of time that Davis played for – she was active on the site for five days, playing relentlessly almost without sleep. So why wasn’t the glitch detected sooner?
“They [BetMGM] were instructed by regulation to check this every single night, every 24 hours. And my client played for five straight days,” Steingold confirmed.
As is the case with many online casino games, Luck O’ the Roulette comes with a stack of terms and conditions, including one that dictates that ‘malfunction voids all pays.’
The plot thickens yet further with the allegation that BetMGM paid Davis the $100k as a form of bribe, asking her to sign a confidentiality agreement and telling her that if news of the glitch became public that she would be sued for the lump sum paid.
This extraordinary case is ongoing, and its eventual findings could have serious ramifications for jackpot winners in the future.
Don’t Bet Against the House
Identifying what is a clear and obvious malfunction is the key to all such cases.
When Katrina Bookman won $43 million back in 2017 playing at Resorts World Casino in Queens, NYC. Does that sound too good to be true? Of course, and especially since the slot game she was playing had a maximum payout of $6,500 and was NOT displaying the jackpot symbols on screen when the glitch occurred.
After informing Bookman of the error, Resorts World offered her a complimentary steak dinner as an apology – instead, she has sued, and the case is still ongoing.
But a precedent was set in 2015 when a 90-year-old erroneously won $41 million at the Isle Casino Hotel in Iowa. The casino refused to pay out, saying that they capped slot game winnings at $10,000, and that the message on screen of the prize was a ‘gratuitous promise’ they did not have to fulfil. The courts agreed, and her actual payout in the end was a mere $1.85.
Maybe there is some light at the end of the tunnel. In the UK, Betfred referred to a glitch when withholding payment to a winner of a £1.7 million jackpot. The London High Court, however, ruled on the side of the player, and forced the firm – who had offered the individual a £60,000 lump sum – to pay up.