A New York woman’s life changed (briefly) after she hit the jackpot at a Jamaica, Queens casino, but her dream soon turned to reality after what unfolded next.
Katrina Bookman was playing the slots when she won $42 million at the Resorts World Casino. The win was the largest slot machine jackpot in US history, according to UNILAD.
After heading to the cashier’s point to claim her winnings, Bookman was told to return to the casino the next day. As she walked away, she said she overheard an employee saying that she “didn’t win nothing.”
Comes to find out the New York State Gaming Commission said the slots machine Bookman played to earn her winnings malfunctioned. They said in a statement that she was only supposed to win $2.25.
All machines at the casino are plastered with a sign stating that “malfunctions void all pays and plays,” therefore, the commission was protected by law to only pay her what she actually won.
But the casino did offer her a gift for the trouble: a complimentary steak dinner.
“Upon being notified of the situation, casino personnel were able to determine that the figure displayed on the penny slot was the result of an obvious malfunction – a fact later confirmed by the New York State Gaming Commission,” a spokesperson for Resorts World told CNN. “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.”
Bookman wasn’t satisfied with the apology or the steak dinner, so she sued.
“You can’t claim a machine is broken because you want it to be broken. Does that mean it wasn’t inspected? Does it mean it wasn’t maintained?” her lawyer told CNN. “And if so, does that mean that people that played there before [Bookman] had zero chance of winning?”
The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
At the end of the melee, the mother of four who was raised in foster care said that after she found out she would only receive $2.25 instead of $42 million, all she could “think about was my family.”
