$42 Million Slots Jackpot Winner Denied Payout Due To "Computer Glitch"
Sorry Grandma! That $42 Million Slot Machine Jackpot Was A Computer Glitch!
An 87 year old grandma has been denied a colossal slot machine jackpot payout due to "malfunction".
87 year old Pauline McKee, and daughter were enjoying a family reunion and fancied their luck on the Miss Kitty slot machine at the Isle Hotel Casino in Waterloo, Illinois.
"..The reels have rolled your way! Bonus Award - $41,797,550.16.."
Suddenly, the machine flashed "The reels have rolled your way! Bonus Award - $41,797,550.16" on screen. The pair immediately asked for their payout, but soon realised that this time it was simply too good to be true.
The casino refused to pay, concluding the message was a computer glitch, and refering the pair to the terms and conditions of the game which confirms "malfunction voids all pays and plays".
The terms of the game are displayed to each user at the start of the game and also state that the maximum payout is $10,000 and "bonus" awards are not allowed.
That being said, the pair took the casino to high court which unanimously ruled that "the casino's failure to pay it could not be challenged as a breach of contract" due to "Any message appearing on the screen indicating the patron would receive a $41 million bonus was a gratuitous promise" and "McKee did not read the rules of the game or look at the paytable before playing the Miss Kitty game."
Aristocrat, developers of the Miss Kitty game, concluded that a computer glitch was responsible for the incorrect notification of a jackpot. It immediately informed all casinos of the "bonus" glitch and advised them to disable that feature.
The Isle Hotel Casino have still not disabled the feature.