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.”
‘Anxious’ gambler, 72, says Atlantic City Bally’s won’t pay out $2.5M slot machine win: ‘What’s the use in playing then?’ https://t.co/78k2CwPeZG pic.twitter.com/T4OZOx6SHf
— New York Post (@nypost) May 18, 2024
What effing BULLSHIT!!! I hope this story DESTROYS that casino’s business…….
How can they be allowed to operate like that?!
They exist in a grey zone run by organized crime is how. What I don’t get though is why the machine isn’t just rigged to never hit a jackpot.
The inconveniencing stories I always hear about casinos and the lottery,I really dont get why people continue to give their money away.
If the machine was defective then losses (ie gains for the casino) have been collected fraudulently. Right?
my question exactly. It is only faulty when it pays not when it collects. I have seen this story one time too many and I think it is just a scam they try to pull to avoid paying. When the amount of money is tiny compared to the amount they collect and the publicity would only drive more business to their casino. Regulators need to investigate this casino like a RICO situation
That’s insane, they need to pay her what she fairly won. Otherwise who’s going to want to play there, and they’re gonna lose so much more than her payout.
“Even though aesthetically these symbols came up it wasn’t a win because the computer says it wasn’t a win.”
So on that logic, when I play these machines and they tell me I haven’t won – I have?
Please. I hope she takes them to the cleaners.
They told her it was a mistake and then tried to force her to leave the casino thinking they could just bully an older woman into believing she had no right to a win and before people noticed she was entitled to it. I hope she gets everything and damages that’s just predatory behaviour
I hope they had to forcibly remove her and that she exchanged numbers with witnesses. What a bunch of crap!
My husband and I like to do date nights at our local casino. If this happened to us, I would burn the place down.
It’s because all the machines are rigged, you’re not suppose to win big.
She had spent over $1000? Just that night? If so then she’s due a win, which she got. So pay up Ballys
Why I just don’t mess with casinos.
It’s ridiculous that Bally’s won’t pay and I hope they lose but also this lady is killing me a little bit. If she wanted to help her homeless son why is she spending $1000 on slot machines? It is the same as throwing your money away. When she says “I just feel it’s not right that they don’t pay out. What’s the use in playing then?” it’s like exactly, there has never been any use in playing, please don’t do this anymore if you don’t just have money to burn 😫
Seems implied she has an addiction. I have a relative who is addicted. It has been terrible to watch. They’ve taken out three home equity lines of credit, is on the verge of bankruptcy. There’s nothing you can say or do to make them stop.
Casinos offer free food, free hotel rooms, free alcohol just to keep people playing.
During March and April, when I worked as tax support, I had a handful of returns that had dozens of W-2Gs (gambling wins). The largest had somewhere around 60, the average was 35-ish. For all they won – and one was over 100K just in gambling winnings – I think all but one of them lost nearly twice as much. And that one barely broke even. Gambling addictions are real, as real as any other addiction and it can be heartbreaking or infuriating or even both at the same time.
I freely admit that I really don’t get the appeal of slots; I’ve been to a casino 3 times in my life and I have lasted around an hour each time – I get overwhelmed in a place like that. But I get the seduction of gambling in general. Just a few cents and you too could win big! There was a time when I was spending around $40+ a drawing in lottery tickets, and only stopped when I eventually gathered up the huge pile of tickets on my bed and realized how much it amounted. Now, I only buy them in set conditions, only when I have money to spare, and it’s always less than $20.
I think this woman is being screwed over by Bally’s, but I also hope that she gets some help. Sadly, this win will probably reinforce the idea in her head.
When the casino stated, “the jackpot was due to a technical glitch,” they were telling the absolute, honest truth. The casino has rigged the machines to never hit the jackpot, and so for them, yes, this was, in fact, a glitch that they arranged to never happen.
Agree the casino never planned/expected to pay out and also that this woman has a gambling addiction. Cynical me thinks the casino would want to pay out because there’s a good chance she’d gamble/lose a chunk of it back to them.
Read a story this morning where a woman in Florida won several thousand on a scratch off and the state was refusing to payout because she owed money for overpayments on unemployment but she said she never claimed it. Apparently happens quite a bit in FL.
I’ve been in AC 2x for work and an annual work event is held at a PA casino…some of the most depressing places I’ve ever been.
Honest to goodness – if you want to play a slot machine do so. But I cannot stand them. It’s literally hitting a button to throw your money away and the casino will always come out on top.
I recently watched the movie “Casino” with Sharon Stone. It’s enough to scare you away from going anywhere near a casino.
Oh come on. She won. Ballys needs to pay up and they can sue the manufacturer for the damages, if they truly believe the machine was faulty, or claim it against their insurance… This is complete BS.
Aren’t they essentially admitting their machine is rigged against someone ever winning the jackpot, and that it is a bait and switch? That’s bold of them. I wonder if anybody has ever won.