After a woman thought she won a $43 million casino jackpot, she was told it was a machine malfunction and was offered a steak dinner instead.
Katrina Bookman saw the number on her slot machine screen in August at Resorts World Casino in Jamaica, Queens, and thought she had won the biggest slot machine jackpot ever in the U.S.: $42,949,672. She took a selfie with the jackpot screen and told WABC she went nearly numb with excitement.
The next day when she went back to claim her prize, she was told that the machine had malfunctioned and that she hadn’t won anything. The New York State Gaming Commission confirmed the malfunction and pointed to the machine’s disclaimer: “Malfunctions void all pays and plays.”
The casino offered Bookman a free steak dinner, but Bookman was crushed. The single mother of four wanted to share her winnings with her family and kids.
Bookman has hired an attorney to fight for the maximum payout of the Sphinx machine — $6,500. “The machine takes the money when you lose. It ought to pay it when you win,” the attorney, Alan Ripka, told WABC.
The printed ticket showed the amount of $2.25. The machine has been serviced and is now functioning correctly again, the casino said.
“After explaining the circumstances to Ms. Bookman, we offered to pay her the correct amount that was shown on the printed ticket. Machine malfunctions are rare, and we would like to extend our apologies to Ms. Bookman for any inconvenience this may have caused,” Resorts World spokesman Dan Bank said, CNN reported.
“I should win the max. And I feel like I should treat him (the casino employee) to a steak dinner,” Bookman told WABC.
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