When "Easy Money" Became A Little Too Easy.

MayorBob.

Posted to Business on Sun Jul 22, 2007 at 07:30:19 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

It sounds like every casino gambler's dream come true. After many a visit where you leave town with less money than you come with, finally you stumble across a sure thing - a slot machine that just keeps giving you money. Before you say "that'll never happen" I point you in the direction of Caesars Indiana, a riverboat casino operating out of Elizabeth, Indiana. It turned out it wasn't a case of luck gone wild - it was a faulty slot machine the casino had installed. Because of their faulty slot machine, the casino lost a lot of money last July - close to (US)$500,000. But the casino isn't looking the other way. They're pressing criminal charges against anyone who realized a windfall at the casino's expense.

A couple who were playing Easy Money slot machine noticed being credited with $200 when a $20 bill was inserted in the machine. The casino quickly stopped play on the machine when it heard about the glitch. But, unfortunately for the casino, at least 30 other gamblers had played the machine and realized a windfall costing the casino $487,000 and now the casino wants its money back. It's not just the money that's at issue; because the casino reported the loss to the authorities, Harrison County prosecutor Dennis Byrd is trying to track down the lucky 30, any of whom could face felony charges. This isn't the only Indiana casino slots fiasco, Another casino in Gary had lost $300,000 due to malfunctioning machines earlier this year. That case was resolved without resorting to prosecuting patrons, some of whom may still be unaware they walked away with money they hadn't won fair and square.

There's a saying in the casino industry -- "machine malfunction voids all pays." But those are cases where casinos make the call that the slots aren't working and they can void even when the machine is showing a jackpot payout. In this case the players did nothing more than insert money into a machine which spit money back at them. The problem was caused by faulty software not designed for US currency. In this case, what technology managed to give away, the casinos hope to take back. They have records of all gamblers who played the machine with casino-issued cards and then there's all that video surveillance.

Kathryn Ford, the patron who reported the machine glitch to the casino believes it's unfair to prosecute patrons. She noted that when a machine jams, gamblers don't get their money back, "it doesn't work in the reverse ... they need to forget it and move on." The investigation had raised questions about whether the casino, which had failed to properly check their equipment, should be on the hook for the losses. But Byrd doesn't believe it's "cut and dried" and thinks we need to consider whether "criminal intent" was in play on the part of those gamblers who played what they knew was a malfunctioning machine.

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Tags: edited by Port1080, written by MayorBob, gambling, casino, theft, money (all tags)

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1	Taken miles and miles and miles away Steve Urkel. Sun Jul 22, 2007 at 02:04:22 PM EST 4.00 (funny)

When I was a little boy I had the good fortune of discovering a defective vending machine and was able to loot its entire supply of York Peppermint Patties without paying. At the time I didn't feel guilty about this, in part because I'd been cheated of money in prior dealings with this particular vending machine, but mostly because I was a special little boy destined to grow up to do great things in defiance of my fathers wishes I become a paper pushing beuraucrat like him. Upon reflection, I still don't feel guilty about this. I did sort of lose my taste for York Peppermint Patties. I guess the lesson here is don't over do it.

2	Easy Decision thefadd. Sun Jul 22, 2007 at 02:20:13 PM EST none

I understand the casino's point but when one goes to casino, one assumes the machines are infallible. If they're counting $20's as $200, it must be some special, unannounced bonus period. For this reason, if I were on a jury, I couldn't convict these people.

It is easy to buy small plaster models of what you think life is like.

3 2	P to the R pO157. Sun Jul 22, 2007 at 03:44:49 PM EST 4.00 (funny)

I wonder why the casino is even bothering. I mean, first off, announcing "Hey! Machine Error! Yeah, that's it! We lost a bunch of money because we couldn't get it together, our machines suck and are error prone. If you took some money from us by accident could you return it? Thanks! Oh, and please keep coming back and playing on our sucky error prone machines!" wouldn't exactly strike much confidence in gamblers that this casino is gonna pay off if you hit a legit jackpot.

Next, what casino exec decided that $500k (which I am sure they could just write off, if Harrah's profit margins are as big as I would imagine) is worth the price of looking stupid and stingy? Did they even consult a PR person on this? If they simply must advertise their screw up, they should have done the reverse and publicly announced some people got $500k off their good fortune and wished those people all the best. I am sure it would hit local TV news as a filler story and go out on the wire leading to more deluded masses going to that casino in the dreams of hitting it big on a manic slot machine.

Third, what ever happened to the personal touch of hired goons? Why the criminal case? Just give Vito and Rocco 15% of whatever they "recover."

4 3	Casinos don't care about PR. MayorBob. Mon Jul 23, 2007 at 08:42:16 AM EST none

Not really and not in my experience. What casinos are about is separating the customer from his money as quickly and effectively as possible and doing it in a glitzy setting with comped drinks brought to you by luscious, buxom babes.

Casinos aren't going to cheat you out of your money. When they get a license to operate, they have to agree what percentage of the money that's gambled must be pocketed by the patrons and what percentage goes to the house. Let's just say it's a generous share of the total that goes to the house. And they have an enormous high-tech and human surveillance effort underway to make sure that the percentage going to the house remains what their license says it should.

Try this one out for kicks. Your next trip to Atlantic City or Vegas, sit at the blackjack table and act like you're card counting. See just how quickly you're requested to leave the table and go talk to a casino official. The reason for this is the casinos don't take any risk in their operations -- the ultimate irony being a gambling operation which doesn't gamble. This is probably the reason why they are willing to aggressively go after those gamblers they believe played those machines and ended up with money they didn't technically win. They can because they have the technology to identify who walked away with money from those machines but, more importantly, allowing those patrons to walk away with that money disrupts the percentage that belongs to the house as well as sends a message the house doesn't want to get out -- that you can "cheat" a casino successfully.

Illegitimi non carborundum.

5 4	Favorite casino quote (OT) Lou. Mon Jul 23, 2007 at 09:23:08 AM EST none

Casinos are only successful when they are filled with losers.

It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine

6 4	Re: Casinos don't care about PR. pO157. Mon Jul 23, 2007 at 09:36:24 AM EST none

Of course they care. They care about positive advertising putting the delusion in "customers" minds that they can walk away with riches at the expense of their hosts.

They care so much that they even went all the way to the Supremes back in 1999 to enforce their right to advertise and get that message out.

Harrahs really dropped the ball here.

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When "Easy Money" Became A Little Too Easy.

MayorBob.

Posted to Business on Sun Jul 22, 2007 at 07:30:19 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

Taken miles and miles and miles away

Steve Urkel.

Sun Jul 22, 2007 at 02:04:22 PM EST

4.00 (funny)

Easy Decision

thefadd.

Sun Jul 22, 2007 at 02:20:13 PM EST

none

2

P to the R

pO157.

Sun Jul 22, 2007 at 03:44:49 PM EST

4.00 (funny)

3

Casinos don't care about PR.

MayorBob.

Mon Jul 23, 2007 at 08:42:16 AM EST

none

4

Favorite casino quote (OT)

Lou.

Mon Jul 23, 2007 at 09:23:08 AM EST

none

4

Re: Casinos don't care about PR.

pO157.

Mon Jul 23, 2007 at 09:36:24 AM EST

none