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August 10, 2006 |
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| Slot glitch costs Caesars Indiana $467,000 | |||
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It seems gamblers at Caesars Indiana were getting more than their money’s worth two weeks ago, as an incorrectly installed slot machine paid out gamblers 10 times what they put into the machine—without making in single bet. According to the Associated Press, management at Caesars Indiana wasn’t made aware of the problem until July 23, when gamblers informed security officials. Karen Ford, of Louisville, Ky., said she and her husband had just sat down at a bank of “Extra Money” games intent upon having a race to see who could accumulate the most money, when a peculiar thing happened. She put a $20 bill in her machine and it registered $200 in credits. She tried it seven more times, and walked away with a voucher ticket for $1,600. Other gamblers soon noticed. “There was even a young woman who jumped in while I was sitting there. She...reached across me, popped a hundred in, popped out a thousand and then she took off,” Ford said. Ford and her husband notified a security guard, but the damage had already been done, likely well before the Fords sat down to play. Caesars lost $487,000 due to the machine’s faulty payouts. So what happened? Property officials and the Indiana Gaming Commission determined that the “Extra Money” machine—a Bally Technologies device—had new software installed July 21. The machine was set for use in the Philippines instead of the United States, therefore triggering the game to multiply credits by 10, the report said. Another seven machines at the property also had received new software, but were not set up for the Philippines pay scale. Three technicians and one supervisor worked on the machine before installing it, and the technician who set up the machine on the floor had been suspended pending a thorough investigation. Though those involved since the erroneous payouts were discovered said the error did not seem deliberate. “Our testing procedures before putting the game in place were not completely followed,” said Ed Garruto, Caesars Indiana’s general manager. “It looks like it was a costly mistake.” Garruto said the property is undertaking an effort to recover some of the money erroneously paid of to patrons. Twenty four patrons who benefited from the machine will be easy to track, he said, as they used their casino player club cards on the machine. —Andy Holtmann |
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