Another malfunction at Mahoning Valley Race Course

Just as I walked in, a man was complaining he won in the bonus and wasn't paid. He had said he had bonus spins, won $240 betting $.80 due to a full screen win of airplanes on the Exotic Treasures slot machine. He was livid and expected his money he won, but he was offered a dinner. This is the third occurrence I've seen or heard of from reputable sources. Gaming shouldn't just let the casino declare malfunctions without their involvement.

I have always thought these things were supposed to be super rare, but something is not right at that casino. A negligent gaming floor is more likely than a malfunction would be my guess. One bank over there is a bank of Aristocrats that doesn't take players cards, they don't know the reason, and have been trying to figure out the reason as long as the casino has been opened.

You would think if the casino should know this is not expected these days. When people get wins and people witness the wins, they should be paid and the casino should use all resources to make sure the problem doesn't reoccur. The way it looks now, they would rather profit not paying than solve the problem because doing nothing is cheaper. I have suspicions perhaps the staff doesn't know all the proper ways to look up what happened. They apparently can't find the disputed wins looking up the history. I'm guessing the wins are legitimate but the machine fails before they're registered when the bonus ends.

I no longer play at this casino for the most part because of hearing these stories and they defend all progressives zealously with tight slots or slow meters. I go where you can get decent play and decent free play. Sucks a casino miles from my home is such an embarrassment.

Have you heard credible stories at any casino you visit? I never have besides this place and the absurd stories that make the news like million dollar jackpots on games that don't offer them.

Quote: onenickelmiracle

Just as I walked in, a man was complaining he won in the bonus and wasn't paid. He had said he had bonus spins, won $240 betting $.80 due to a full screen win of airplanes on the Exotic Treasures slot machine. He was livid and expected his money he won, but he was offered a dinner. This is the third occurrence I've seen or heard of from reputable sources. Gaming shouldn't just let the casino declare malfunctions without their involvement.

I have always thought these things were supposed to be super rare, but something is not right at that casino. A negligent gaming floor is more likely than a malfunction would be my guess. One bank over there is a bank of Aristocrats that doesn't take players cards, they don't know the reason, and have been trying to figure out the reason as long as the casino has been opened.

You would think if the casino should know this is not expected these days. When people get wins and people witness the wins, they should be paid and the casino should use all resources to make sure the problem doesn't reoccur. The way it looks now, they would rather profit not paying than solve the problem because doing nothing is cheaper. I have suspicions perhaps the staff doesn't know all the proper ways to look up what happened. They apparently can't find the disputed wins looking up the history. I'm guessing the wins are legitimate but the machine fails before they're registered when the bonus ends.

I no longer play at this casino for the most part because of hearing these stories and they defend all progressives zealously with tight slots or slow meters. I go where you can get decent play and decent free play. Sucks a casino miles from my home is such an embarrassment.

Have you heard credible stories at any casino you visit? I never have besides this place and the absurd stories that make the news like million dollar jackpots on games that don't offer them.

Why even walk into the place then? You said for the most part you dont play. I would think you would say I never play.

Youngstown, buddy, whaddayawant?

You may have said - but what casino is this again?

Quote: GWAE

Why even walk into the place then? You said for the most part you dont play. I would think you would say I never play.

I was collecting free play. Otherwise I would hit the road to another casino out of state.

Quote: Wizardofnothing

You may have said - but what casino is this again?

It's Hollywood Casino aka Mahoning Valley Race Course.

I'd have to say i would be shocked without some sort of documentation- not doubting you at all just the people that possibly told you- Hollywood runs a pretty tight operation- not saying they are favorable to players. It I had a small issue- and called there corporate office and had a call back from the property within 30 minutes and they compensated me and then some additional

Quote: Wizardofnothing

I'd have to say i would be shocked without some sort of documentation- not doubting you at all just the people that possibly told you- Hollywood runs a pretty tight operation- not saying they are favorable to players. It I had a small issue- and called there corporate office and had a call back from the property within 30 minutes and they compensated me and then some additional

It's definitely true. I was sitting next to the young girl the first time it happened. Laughed out loud when she mentioned being worried she wouldn't be paid. Wasn't by her side when the controversy happened with her not being paid, but she told me what happened the same day.

The second case I wasn't there, but confirmed the story with the regular the "malfunction happened" to, and the regular happened to be playing last night.

All three cases happened to be on WMS slot machines, but there might be more. I vaguely remember two other situations on other brands which I didn't pay attention to at the time long before. When you hear these things, I know they're unbelievable because these things are supposed to be super rare and not uncommon.

As far as cases documented, I'm just doubting because common sense would think gaming would have a physical presence inspecting the machine themselves and this doesn't seem to be the case. Ohio seems to be as lax as NJ letting casinos regulate themselves imho. Gaming should have been there or insisted on being involved and this doesn't appear to have been the case. Maybe they do somehow I'm unaware. I do know the one machine was shut down for weeks, but don't know if there was a resolution.

If a player wins money, I don't think it is proper to call it's malfunction if the credits don't register. Seems there would be an error, but the casino should be liable and take responsibility instead of trying to blow people off. Especially when people witness the wins.

The first lady was out $140 plus 40 unplayed free games on Colossal Wizards at a $2.50 max bet, the second case $100 on Napoleon and Josephine, then this most recent $240 on Exotic Treasures. These people are all big spenders, top 10-20%, and just from a business stand point, terrible for the casino to treat their best players this way. You can rest assured everything I have seen and been told has been truthful and everything I have been told I take to be very credible and each case I spoke with the players themselves.

A little googling found even in Nevada, gaming is required on disputes over $500, but will be involved upon request, presumably only expected by players. Most penny machines 99% of the time will not hit this threshold and probably should be increased to protect the integrity of gaming. I'm still not sure the rules in Ohio though, but usually you can expect some similarity, and I understand how these injustices could continue on.

Sp just curious. Did he see the screen and it not pay or did it show the credits but then he wasn't awarded them? If he just saw them and they didn't pay then I would find it hard to believe. The casino isn't changing the programming to screw people, and I find it weird that wms would have multiple problems at one casino yet none that we hear of from hundreds of others.

These are vlts right? Maybe something is screwy in their vlt system?

Quote: GWAE

Sp just curious. Did he see the screen and it not pay or did it show the credits but then he wasn't awarded them? If he just saw them and they didn't pay then I would find it hard to believe. The casino isn't changing the programming to screw people, and I find it weird that wms would have multiple problems at one casino yet none that we hear of from hundreds of others.

These are vlts right? Maybe something is screwy in their vlt system?

I can say in the first case with the Colossal Wizards slots she won the credits, but they were never transferred to the bank. Suddenly, the machine went black and it said "No signal error". I was there witnessing that one as it happened. She never got the spins never played either of course.

The second case was in the bonus with pretty sure the same problem. The third case with the airplanes in the bonus round, assume the same. Most people wouldn't know how much the win would be calculating themselves, so confident won but not transferred.

Whatever the problem, if anything fails before the bonus ends, they're not getting the wins, because the wins are never made official. That's how these bonuses work, the credits accumulate in the bonus, then are awarded at the end. Confident this is where the problem lies. Credits left in the bank are not a problem. A memory problem, idk. Seems they can't recall the bonuses like other casinos, where they can just jump back where the bonus left off.

Yes they are VLTs. I agree never heard of these things besides reel tilts everyone takes to believe were never really wins. I've seen the door open to the room seeing all the servers, so know they exist. Something is wrong with that system, whatever it is when it seems the benefit of the doubt goes to their favor.

I wouldn't put anything past that casino and think it is run dirty as far as they run progressive machines.

I had a malfunction happen to me at a Village People Party machine! I got all three bonus symbols and I said to the woman next to me, "I finally got the bonus! It's about time! " She looked at my machine and said,"I hope it's a good bonus for you!" Before I could press "start bonus," the machine went black and I saw a sign saying,"System rebooting. Call slot tech." After he fixed the machine, my bonus symbols were gone! O.O I told him that I had gotten bonus symbols before the machine had suddenly went black and rebooted. The woman attested to what I had said. The slot tech checked the last 10 spins and none of the last 10 spins showed my bonus symbols! What the hell? O.O

At what casino NATHAN???

Quote: Wizardofnothing

At what casino NATHAN???

It was at Miami Jai Alai Casino.

Do you know KENTRY????

I don't know anyone named Kentry.

The thought just occurred to me, I have played the machines so much, I might not have even noticed if a bonus wasn't placed in the credit bank. The machines so obviously were downgraded last fall/winter, small pathetic bonuses so common, I wouldn't even realize if the wins weren't added. I don't recall if a machine went black, but maybe it doesn't have to.

Once at Mountaineer nearly a decade ago, played a $5 Wheel of Fortune game, the reels ended on the spin, swore it lit, then the reels went into tilt. Techs came, no bonus and no win for me. Didn't even think to argue after they had said malfunction told I didn't win, and didn't know there was a right to argue and a process for it like I do now. Malfunction is not the end, but you have to not take no for an answer right away.

You would think there would be an accounting long term which would look back after millions of plays to see if the expected has been reached beyond a margin of error, but I don't think there is. As long as they're making money, nobody cares if it is more than expected. Would these blips show up telling the regulators something went wrong? I am not sure if they would since they're still quite rare at most places.

Forgot to add something I noticed last time at the casino, the machines don't have the typical labeling stating malfunctions void all pays and plays, must be 21, etc. Not on the top glass either. Maybe buried in the help screen, not sure, don't remember looking, but think it's standard for it to be thrown in buried in the rules.

If malfunctioning always occurs in a casino then that's very suspicions. They might be using those excuses to escape from paying the customer his winnings. They also should shut down the particular machine to undergone a maintenance.

Quote: Mobcasinos

If malfunctioning always occurs in a casino then that's very suspicions. They might be using those excuses to escape from paying the customer his winnings. They also should shut down the particular machine to undergone a maintenance.

Good point. Also people would go into fight mode if they are denied winnings because of a slot machine malfunction. Them fighting for the winnings should be within reason.

For example, a customer puts in $1 in Coyote Moon at 10 lines times 10 and gets a retriggered bonus, in one of the games, he gets all 25 Coyote Moons which is the highest paying symbol for $1000. He also gets a full screen of deers which is $400. He also gets other good line hits and all in all, he ends up with $1600. The casino says they will not pay him the $1600 because of a slot machine malfunction. It would be reasonable for him to fight for $1600.

It would not be reasonable for him to fight if the Coyote Moon slot said he won 8 million as Coyote Moon does not pay 8 million. The most it pays is around $4,000 if you were max betting. The most you get playing $1 is $1,000 with all of the Coyote Moons. So you would automatically know that you did not win 8 million on a machine that does not pay that high.