Austrian casino refuses to pay 43 million Euro Jackpot

Man denied 43 mn casino jackpot due to software error
But then the disappointment came when two casino workers came to me and said there was a software error. They took me for a fool which I am not. I've played in many casinos and I know the way the cookie crumbles. It doesn't concern me if they have a software problem.
"I also received a letter saying that a casino worker had manipulated the jackpot by mistake. That's not my problem either, win is win.

Austrian Times
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I've no idea who the regulating authority is in Austria and I've no idea by how much the jackpot exceeds what a reasonable person would have suspected the machine could legitimately pay, but I would agree that a software error is not a "malfunction" and an ill-trained employee is not a sufficient excuse.

Quote: FleaStiff

Man denied 43 mn casino jackpot due to software error:
I've no idea by how much the jackpot exceeds what a reasonable person would have suspected the machine could legitimately pay

Casinos in austria are like the Bregenz Casino are very tiny. Austrian citizens are not permitted to enter, and they provide some light entertainment for nearby hotels. Jacket and tie are required. Roulette is the dominant game.

I don't think there are 2000 slot machines in the entire country.

Spielangebot im Casino Bregenz:
1 French Roulette Tisch
7 American Roulette Tische
8 Black Jack Tische
1 Tropical Stud Poker Tisch
1 Easy Hold'em Poker Tisch
5 Texas Hold'em Poker Tische
133 Spielautomaten
Jackpot Casino mit Spielautomaten, Black Jack und Easy Roulette

Sometimes a software error is truly a malfunction. There was a lady denied a jackpot in colorado last year for $42 million. In that case, there were garbled numbers coming up on the screen and then the game locked up for a $42 million jackpot. Anyone could see that the game had not landed on the top award or anywhere close.

As for the casino worker manipulating the jackpot, what I imagine they mean is that they reset the jackpot or power cycled the machine. In Colorado, if a machine has an error, they power off the game and remove the processor board in order to send it to a third party for forensic evaluation. If the game was power cycled, the error will most likely be lost and the corrupted area of RAM will be overwritten.

Still, I think that slot manufacturers need to have more liability in the event of malfunctions. The casino should not be liable though.

Why are there so many errors that seem to default to the 1-in-a-billion Mega Jackpot win?

How about setting the error position to a losing pattern?

Quote: Dween

Why are there so many errors that seem to default to the 1-in-a-billion Mega Jackpot win?

They are the ones we are most likely to hear about.

Tisch must mean Table and I found it strange that French and American wheels would co-exist in the same casino although I do know that used to be the situation in at least one Las Vegas casino.

With only 133 slot machines, it would be strange to offer such a high jackpot. After all, 133 machines just don't bring in all that much revenue even if played non-stop.

I knew roulette was popular in Europe and now I see just how popular if a small casino has so many roulette wheels.

Quote: FleaStiff

Tisch must mean Table and I found it strange that French and American wheels would co-exist in the same casino although I do know that used to be the situation in at least one Las Vegas casino.

Very common at continental European casinos (even the famous The Casino at Monte Carlo offers both), and definitely not unheard of in the US. What surprised me was that they don't appear to offer baccarat or any of its variants.

Quote: FleaStiff

With only 133 slot machines, it would be strange to offer such a high jackpot. After all, 133 machines just don't bring in all that much revenue even if played non-stop.

With only 1200 slot machines in the country I would think it would be difficult to collect more than 100 million Euros all year. Even if they were interconnected, it is unlikely that they would have a 43 million euro prize.

Quote: pacomartin

it is unlikely that they would have a 43 million euro prize.

It would also seem that the average player would have some notion of that and therefore would not have a reasonable expectation even amidst the excited atmosphere of the bells ringing and lights flashing at a "Jackpot".

Quote: FleaStiff

It would also seem that the average player would have some notion of that and therefore would not have a reasonable expectation even amidst the excited atmosphere of the bells ringing and lights flashing at a "Jackpot".

The player may very well know that 43 million is unreasonable expectation for a slot machine, but there is no legal advantage to admitting this point. I a jury awards him a prize he would probably accept a settlement for a lot less.

The all-time biggest Megabucks jackpot anyone ever won I believe was $39 million; it was won back in March 2003 by someone playing a Megabucks machine at Excalibur. But I have never heard of anyone winning more than $13 million other than that one time.

Quote: pacomartin

The player may very well know that 43 million is unreasonable expectation for a slot machine, but there is no legal advantage to admitting this point.

True. I think in many of these "malfunction" cases wherein the meaning of the word is in dispute, I would hold the casino to a high standard so as to protect the industry even if that means the knowledgeable player gets a windfall. However, there has to be a limit to what is reasonable. And a tiny little hole in the wall casino in a tiny little industry just isn't going to pay out such a staggering sum of money, nor should even the most exuberant drunk have believed it for a moment.

I can't comment without knowing more details. Sometimes there are legitimate malfunctions.