More Casinos Realize They Can Blame Software Glitch And Not Pay Out Big Prizes
from the sneaky,-sneaky dept
Last summer, we suggested a new business model for casinos, after hearing the story of one casino blaming a software glitch in order to not pay out a jackpot a player had supposedly won. In that case, the guy was supposedly hiring a lawyer, but we haven't heard an update. However, it appears that others are picking up on the trick. A new casino in Pennsylvania had a slot machine tell a player that he had won $102,000, supposedly "the big jackpot" of the day. Various casino staff came up and congratulated him, until someone else came over and offered him two free meal coupons, saying that the jackpot message (which even stated his name) was a software glitch on their internal computer system, and was due to some internal testing that never should have reached the actual machine. Specifically, they claim it was "a communications error." The article does note that the slot machines have a disclaimer that the casino is not liable for machine malfunctions, but there are questions about whether or not that covers this situation, since it wasn't technically the slot machine that malfunctioned, but the casino's computer system. Either way, it seems pretty sleazy, and probably isn't particularly good publicity for a new casino trying to drum up business. Update: Apparently the casino has changed its mind, recognizing the bad publicity the original story caused. The casino claims that their investigation turned up that the error was a human error, not a machine glitch, and therefore they paid up.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Won not one
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
casinos
they rake in so much money anyways from people gambling, whats the point in losing business because you want to keep an extra few bucks
overall, they are hurting their business i am willing to bet =P
and first!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
dang
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: dang
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: dang
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: dang
http://www.daveramsey.com/etc/stupid_tax/?fuseAction=dspReadStories
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: dang
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Casinos are Regulated
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Casinos are Regulated
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
casinos are regulated?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
As a programmer for 28 years
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: As a programmer for 28 years
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Glitch or No Glitch
Either way, it's bad customer service and horrible publicity. It would be worth it for them to pay the full amount or more, just to keep the issue quiet. Now people will look at that place with a little more skepticism.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I'm curious...
http://www.nbc10.com/news/10834746/detail.html
In that one, it mentions "Wilkinson told NBC 10 he saw an ad in a local newspaper that there would be big jackot every day for casino-card holders."
If this guy wasn't the big winner.... WHO WAS?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Uncool
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Uncool
I can't speak to the actual error, but I can tell you even in retail, they do not honor typo's in advertising. I seem to remember an add for 2 or 4 gig usb thumb drives for about $20, and the retailer canceled all the orders stating the add was due to a typo.
Had this happened in Las Vegas instead of Pennsylvania, the casino probably would have done a better job compensating the player than a free buffet (as there are MANY other choices of casinos he could take his business to).
It is sad this man feels cheated. However, I guarantee this was not a casino not wanting to a pay a legitimate winner. This definitely was an error, but I can't speak to what type of an error.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
It's worth paying
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: It's worth paying
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Yeah, Mike's posts are crap. He doesn't even spell/grammar check before he posts this stuff. If you can't even spell correctly, how can you trust the content? Crap crap and more crap....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Pay The Man. I think a Judge would side with the player
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
NOT A SCAM
The casino does not design, manufacture or distribute slot machines in anyway. What is going to happen is the manufacturer of the machine AND communication protocol will get their asses handed to them and if it was human error, there will be repercussions I am sure.
Now not awarding the man his money is extremely bad PR and probably a bad decision on their part but this is hardly a scam.
-Works in gaming field.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: NOT A SCAM
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: NOT A SCAM
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Well I'm convince
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Can i use that line?
Then I should be able to sue for some random jackpot that I didn't win, right?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: NOT A SCAM
I believe this was a peripheral attached to the machine that is completely separate from the slot machine. I am almost guessing someone accidentally sent a progressive win command for that particular card player and then went "oops!".
If it wasn't that, then possibly an error in the host communication software...but that is really hard swallow because that is the WORST case scenario. Any decent designer tests against that exact scenario...otherwise the casino wouldn't purchase software that company.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: NOT A SCAM
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
so does not paying the 100k remove more than 100k from sales? hard to say.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I wonder what will come of this.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
two cents worth
Bottom line, It is a game of chance, or isn’t it?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: two cents worth
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: two cents worth
Even non-progressive machines are linked now, as they not only report big payouts (the payout decision IS standalone on that machine), but report how much $$$ you've put into the machine. That is the whole POINT of player cards.
The thing that most people don't understand about the casino biz is that the casino has ZERO interest in fixing the results. They win anyway. They don't care how much you've won (or more likely lost) as an individual, they know that as an organization, they have won.
To explain: Assume you have a casino with nothing but blackjack tables. 5000 of them, $5/hand. $5*0.0062 = 3.1 cents (assuming dealer hit a 17), or $155 / hour for those tables. The casinos generally run 24hr/day, so those tables will make at LEAST $3720/day. AND THOSE ARE THE BEST ODDS IN THE CASINO!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: two cents worth
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Yea...
I never worry or care about such things because I don't and never will gamble...But what this casino is pulling off it is just Wrong...and they will loose business because of this...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
turnabout
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Gamblers gamble
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I wonder if i can rack up a huge debt to a casino, then say, hey it was a glitch that i got the money, you lose. doubt it.
typically each slot machine is in control of it's own payout, howeveer those attached to a progressive system not only have individual control, but have input/output on progressive systems. unfortunately i'm not sure of the inner workings of the programming for such machines (although i bet it's amazingly cool)
plus there is no real "randomization" in computer programs. sure there are a vast number of possibilites, but at one point, they will repeat. the fact that someone programs an algorithm means there's logic behind the function (see Pseudorandom number generator on wikipedia) so, it is possible to "predict and control" the outcome of the machines. you've seen the slots that say 98% payout, 99.9%, 99.9999% payout even the 101.2% payouts. the idea is that these payouts occour over a long period of time, so the casion has time to profit off the gambling money, i.e. earns 105% before paying out the 101.2% thus netting the casino 3.8% but you get the drift
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
More info on progressives
Not all progressives(those big jackpot meters on top of those video slot machines) are stand alone(independent from other jackpots). In fact, a lot of progressives are linked. Especially the WOF games.
These linked progressives are controlled by a host system...sometimes the host systems are not manufactured by the same company that made the machine. In that case, the machine didn't glitch, it may have been that host system...(or human error where it was manually triggered on accident.)
Still, in the long run, the coverage on this is pretty terrible. They aren't naming any names, just the casino involved.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
mike is a dumbbutt
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
MIKE IS EVIL!!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Seriously
Just messin'. You're all idiots.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
HAI GUYZ
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The Problem
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Bad publicity, for whom?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
LAME
Mike = sucky still HAI MIKE!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
this same thing happened in Argentina 3 months ago
obviously no slot machine will give away such a big jackpot.. but... who's fault.. theirs or ours?
malfunctions only appears to pop up when is in the customer's favor.
you can read this, if you read spanish
http://www.clarin.com/diario/2006/10/17/sociedad/s-03101.htm
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Surely then...
Has the casino ever approached a customer and said, "here's your jackpot, the software incorrectly reported a losing pull, but it should have reported a win.
Frankly, I find it hard to believe that you could determine a falsely reported win was due to a software glitch in a short period of time and simultaneously be unaware of any problems with the software.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Casinos
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
False Advertisement
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
do they..
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
RE: Real Scam
Casinos are just feeding off people who are bad a math.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Glitch
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The new reported.....
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
glitch?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
casino
http://www.searchjerk.com/cgi-bin/smartsearch/smartsearch.cgi?keywords=casino&search=Search
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Psychology of gambling
The behavior is easy to see in stock markets; in this case the investment banks and brokers are the croupiers.
Advertisers for the casinos assume that average people have poor judgement regarding their own personal prospects when they see advertisements showing smiling people around the gaming tables cheerfully losing their money. The actors and actresses simply model the correct behaviors and attitudes, and the average person doesn't rationally calculate their own personal probability of winning, or ask if ANYBODY is truly a net winner.
By the way, one of the most common and effective advertisements for gambling is the gambling scene in a movie. Hollywood-type movies are feature-length advertisements disguised as entertainment. So you have the suave, debonaire James Bond type character in a casino, maybe he wins, and then he gets the girl. Men who fancy themselves as being the "man about town" type will copy the behavior. They want to be Sean Connery. Modelling the behavior and making it look like the key to fulfilment of some kind is sufficient to get some people to actually engage in the target behavior. They influence their own friends, and it spreads.
The casinos have made it very clear that gambling is a form of "entertainment" and that they are under no legal obligation to make the games "fair". They now have numerous and poorly-disclosed "cheats" to foil card-counters, for example. If someone has an extremely good memory he will be escorted from the premises by casino goons.
A long time ago, the casino owners noticed that the gambling impulse is not rational. One of the ways that gamblers lose is that they tend to have a compulsion to win back what they lost the same way that they lost it. Hence as strange as it may seem, the casino owners are not terribly worried about baiting the players with enough wins to keep them happy. An occassional paid actor or actress gleefully jumping up and down over an ostensible win, that is completely bogus, and being hugged by their attractive ostensible companion, is sufficient. The casino owners like to maximize their haul.
These people hire behavioral psychologists to advise them on priming their suckers. They know what they are doing.
Oddly enougn, yet another trick is to sponsor "responsible vice" messages. The casino owners actually pay for advertising about "knowing your limits". The reason is that it subtly suggests that there is such a thing as responsible vice--that it's OK as long as you can (convince yourself that you can) "handle it". This works like a charm especially on a lot of self-righteous types who are prone to parroting the moralisms of people in positions of power. It also has the effect of hopefully keeping the host solvent; the parasite doesn't want to prematurely kill its host, but to maximize its haul over the useful lifetime of the host.
;-{)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
It's Not A Casino
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
This is my Father.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Whatever happened to business responsibility?
I'm hereby suggesting that ALL casino patrons discontinue the use of ANY electronically controlled device that is labeled anything anywhere near indicating that the casino is not liable for "something" related to a electronic malfunction. I sure as hell know I won't use them.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
WTF
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Casino's blame computer glitch
Here in Canada gambling is now legal and widespread throughout the country, but you must think politically correct on whether its beneficial to the population, because this same government declared gambling illegal when run by the mob.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Gambling
oh yeah visit the buffets
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Not the first time
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Casino's are regulated
After all, did not organized crime initiated by the Mafia design the gambling scenario for profits and isn't it equally common knowledge that the mob was not eactly known for its fairness and honesty.
With governments now under the control of gambling revenues, would one assume that corruption would end?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
10%?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
my basement slot machine does the same thing...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Gambling addictions
I used to play the lotto drives where they used the bingo ball machines with letters on them live on TV to correspond with the draw dates. When they removed those live draws, the lottery industry went electronic and therefore ceased to be honest and fair. With these electronic numbers, just like VLT's and any computer motivated game, they can be programmed and reprogrammed to win or loose.
Because there are numerous winners who collect jackpots from these machines, the income overwelms any shortfall with payouts, believe it. Those machines are not programmed to win, but they are designed to create revenue and false hope.
Everytime I see security trucks hauling cash bags from casinos I just wonder how many families were torn apart, how many promising people were incarcerated because they turned to crime to support their addiction and most important, how many desperate souls are contemplating or have already ended their lives from out of control addictions to gambling.
Pretty pathetic when the government boasts about their enormous profits they generate from such vile crap.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Simple solution
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The mob did it
But there are also many disadvantages to them and not necessarily the fault of an owner, after-all it takes patrons in order for any service related business to survive, but to manage a casino, one must be able to control their conscience and feelings of compulsive gamblers.
You could not be a sincere person towards one that has gambled their life and family away, just as a person who deliberately does themselves harm or gets involved with criminal intentions.
There are ads on TV that are stressing the idea of gambling responsibly. Just like an alcoholic, or a drug addict, how can responsibilty ever play a part in a deliberate notion? An alcoholic, a smoker, a drug addict as well as a complusive gambler knows the risk everytime they endure their complusion.
And unfortunately the mob knew it, the government now knows it and gambling casino owners also know complusive everything goes beyond the norm, or the responsibilty level.
Isn't that what profits are all about?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Every code that is written, is compiled and signed digitally by the programmer.
It is then sent to another randomly selected programmer, in another city which will look at the source code, make sure nothing wrong with it and again compiled and signed it digitally.
It goes through a third randomly selected programmer who will do exactly the same thing.
Each line of codes is checked and tested by 3 different programmers. Not one programmer will write the whole codes.
If there is such a glitch they would have to recall the machines (not one machine only).
The casino is just trying to cheat the guy by trying to intimidate him.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Safe Play
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Casino's not paying off due to technical glitch
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Discover the Great Betting Experience at the Brand New Casino
you can find out the different range of brand new casino and choose the best one.
For more information: https://www.reddit.com/user/william4martin/comments/dzhked/discover_the_great_betting_experience_at_ the/
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
New Casino-a real platform to enjoy gambling
New casino in the industry, it is very challenging for punters which to choose are not? Well, if you are going through our blog.
For more information: https://palynewcasinogamblinggamesinuk.blogspot.com/2019/11/new-casino-real-platform-to-enjoy.html
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Vous n'avez plus besoin de réfléchir à la façon de gagner de l'argent, car pour cela, je vous recommanderai un site https://casinoenligne365.com/neteller-casino/ avec les meilleures plateformes de casino en ligne. Il est très facile de faire du profit et de la bonne humeur ici.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]