Woman who hit $2.5 million jackpot on slot machine sues after casino refuses to pay
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New Jersey resident Roney Beal visited Atlantic City in February where she tried her luck at the Bally’s Casino slot machines. After mostly losing (she was down about $1,000), Roney hit the jackpot on a Wheel of Fortune machine… to the tune of $1.28 million, plus a multiplier putting her over $2 million. I’ll have what she’s having! Only problem? When she hit the call button to move the process along, employees told her the win wasn’t valid due to a “technical glitch.” ORLY? That must be the old “we never actually expect to pay out” glitch. Now Roney is suing Bally’s Casino, and its gaming company International Game Technology (IGT), for the winnings and damages. Where’s her money, Bally’s?!
Wheel of (mis)fortune: A New Jersey woman said she won more than $2 million on an Atlantic City slot machine — but the casino isn’t coughing up the dough, leaving the septuagenarian “very anxious” about being unable to help her homeless son. Roney Beal, 72, claims she hit it big on a Wheel of Fortune slot machine at Bally’s Casino in February, but when she went to collect her winnings, the casino claimed the jackpot was due to a technical glitch and therefore didn’t count, she told The Post Saturday. “I just feel it’s not right that they don’t pay out,” Beal said. “What’s the use in playing then?”
The winning spin: She said she eventually got the words “wild,” “wild x2” and “spin” on a diagonal on the slot area of the machine. This entitled her to a free spin on the Wheel of Fortune wheel on the top of the machine. After spinning, the wheel ended up on the word “Jackpot” with a dollar sign — and she said she heard the words “You’ve won.” Then, 3-D gold coins came out and a blue light went off, she said. “And then the people behind me got up and they’re like, ‘oh my god, oh my god.’ This guy says, ‘lady you’re a millionaire. A millionaire,’” she said.
Bally’s bails on the payout: But when she used a call button to summon help, a tilt message popped up, indicating the machine was unplayable due to an error or malfunction. A Bally’s employee told her she didn’t win before telling her to leave the casino. Beal’s attorney, Mike Di Croce, said he is preparing a legal complaint against Bally’s and its gaming company, International Game Technology (IGT), for $2.56 million because she hit a $1.28 million jackpot with a multiplier. In addition, he plans to file a $1 million-plus emotional distress claim. Beal said she is still “very anxious. … I’m upset because I want the money, and I will help people with it,” she said. Those people include her homeless son, for whom she wants to buy a trailer.
Dodging responsibility: Bally’s Casino foisted responsibility onto IGT. “Bally’s has no comment on this incident as we’re only the casino who houses the machine,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “IGT handles the payouts and would be best to get a comment from at this time.” An IGT spokesperson told The Post Saturday night it “is cooperating with the casino operator’s investigation of this matter.” … “Bally’s says, ‘Come to our casino, play our machines,’” Di Croce said. “There’s no information that there’s a third-party contract. Ultimately Bally’s should be responsible as well. … Bally’s can’t hide behind this other company.” Beal, who had a heart attack a year ago, said she’s “hoping and praying” she gets the money, particularly before she dies.
Apparently IGT has a history of trying to stiff winners with this “technical glitch” excuse. Someone sued them along with a Harrah’s Casino in New Orleans in 2000, where IGT had the nerve to say “Even though aesthetically these symbols came up it wasn’t a win because the computer says it wasn’t a win.” GMAFB. “Well yes it does look like you won according to all the visuals and audio cues, but in reality you lost because the computer says so.” The same computer that programs all the symbols to project a win? IGT, by the way, was eventually forced to pay in that case. I hope this precedent helps Roney’s lawsuit, along with the fact that the machine seemingly wasn’t marked in any way as being defective, and also the backup of the witness accounts who congratulated her on the win when it happened. In terms of the court of public opinion, I can’t help but think Roney is already winning with this statement: “Beal, who had a heart attack a year ago, said she’s ‘hoping and praying’ she gets the money, particularly before she dies.”
