Casino Offered Woman Who Won $43 Million On Slot Machine A Steak Dinner Instead Of The Prize Money

Jul 26, 2023 by apost team

Gambling is staking something of value on a random event to win something of greater value. Gambling is often done with a consciousness of risk but with the hopes of success at the outcome of a contest, a game or an uncertain event. 

The result of gambling may be determined by chance or accident. Chance is the primary determinant of the gambling outcome. But for expert gamblers, it takes more than a chance to decide the outcome of their games. They integrate a combination of skill, training, strategy and chance to ensure they succeed in their games. In certain instances, the rules applied to gambling games are designed to confuse the game's components. Since the game's elements depend on skill and chance, talented players may be able to manipulate them to achieve a successful outcome.

Gambling occurs in different forms, including casino games, non-casino games, fixed-odds betting, parimutuel betting, sports betting, virtual sports and arbitrage betting. Casinos are one of the earliest forms of controlled gambling environments. In the early days, betting was not regulated; people would place bets on anything of value without anybody putting any control on it. But things changed in the 1600s when controlled gambling environments known as casinos were set up.

Several games, including poker, roulette, baccarat and blackjack, are played at casinos. When a player wins at any of these games, the casino takes a certain percentage for revenue services and hands you the rest of your winnings. However, this wasn't the case for Katrina Bookman, who was offered a steak dinner instead of her $43 million winnings at the Resorts World Casino in Queens, New York, in August 2016.

Bookman thought her fortune had changed when she won almost $43 million on a slot machine. But her excitement at the jackpot was short-lived after being informed that her supposed millions resulted from a malfunctioning machine.

In 2016, Bookman played a popular slot game, Sphinx Wild, after inserting 40 cents into the machine. At the end of the game, the machine alerted her to a win of $42,949,672 million. With that jackpot amount, Bookman's win wasn't only going to change her fortune; it was also going to set the record as the largest slot machine jackpot in US history. 

Bookman's body went numb when she saw her winnings, but she took a selfie with the machine to mark the moment. She was escorted off the casino floor due to the chaos her winning caused and asked to come the next day to discuss her winnings. But on her way out of the facility, she asked a casino staff member how much she'd be walking home with, and his answer unsettled her.

"You didn't win nothing," he responded. 

Bookman returned the next day to discuss her winnings, but she was offered a complimentary steak dinner for her troubles instead of getting a lump sum. The management explained that the machine malfunctioned and even had a disclaimer stating, "Malfunctions void all pays and plays" to support this claim. 

According to ABC7, the New York State Gaming Commission confirmed the casino's claims that the slot machine was malfunctioning and that her actual win was a mere $2.25.

Per CNN Money, Bookman sued the casino in court barely one year after the mistaken $43 million jackpot win. However, there is no evidence that she won the case. 

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What do you think of the mistaken $43 million jackpot win by Katrina Bookman? Do you think the casino was at fault for leaving a malfunctioning machine on the casino floor? What would you do if you were in Bookman’s shoes? Let us know and — and be sure to pass this article on to friends and family members.