Wheel Of Misfortune: Woman's $2M Slot Win Disputed As Glitch
It’s a wheel of glitches for one New Jerseywoman, who claims she hit a jackpot for over $2 million playing a Wheel of Fortune slot machine at Bally’s in Atlantic City this past February. However, the machine didn’t pay out, and the online casino claims a technical glitch caused the reels to align the way they did, thus nullifying the win.
Roney Beal, 72, of Shamong Township, told WPVI she put hundreds of dollars into the machine, hoping to win a few thousand, when it seemed fate stepped in.
“And it went off, says, ‘You’re a winner,’ and gold coins popped out,” she told the television station. “This very nice guy says, ‘Oh my God, you hit, you hit!’ He said, ‘Lady you’re a millionaire.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh my God!’”
The jackpot was more than $1.2 million, and Beal said she also hit the multiplier, pushing the jackpot over $2 million.
Everyone was going bananas, and when Beal hit the service button on the slot, security surrounded her.
“That’s when the sentences came up ’tilted,’” she said. “When the man came over to talk to me, he said, ‘Lady, get it in your head, you won nothing.’”
She was told the machine malfunction is known as a “reel tilt,” which voided the victory.
After the slot machine displayed the “tilted” message and Beal was informed her jackpot was void, she claims a Bally’s attendant engaged in suspicious behavior with the machine.
“He had it rolling real slow,” she said. “He had it opened and then he is pushing it.”
Beal alleges that after opening the machine, the attendant asked her to “spin it off,” but she refused. She says the attendant then proceeded to press various buttons inside the machine before ultimately offering her a paltry $350 payout.
“They fooled with the machine before anybody else had the opportunity to take a look at this,” said attorney Mike Dicroce, who represents Beal. “That action by a casino attendant may have tampered with evidence of the win.”
Beal and her legal counsel assert that the attendant’s actions, including manipulating the machine’s internal components and attempting to have Beal “spin it off,” could have compromised crucial evidence related to her disputed jackpot win. They believe these actions may have altered the machine’s state before independent parties could examine it.
In response to the alleged tampering, Dicroce has taken action to ensure potential evidence is secured. He has formally requested that the New Jersey Gaming Enforcement Division, Bally’s Casino, and IGT — the slot machine manufacturer responsible for the payout — preserve the machine itself and any relevant surveillance footage from the casino floor for an independent forensic examination.
“You invite somebody to your business. They pay the money, they win, you’re supposed to pay. That didn’t happen,” he added, criticizing the casino’s handling of the situation.
Bally’s Casino had no comment, referring questions to IGT, but they didn’t respond to WPVI for comment.
