Hoffman says in a lawsuit filed earlier this year that Sandia refused to pay, claiming that the machine malfunctioned. Instead, he said, they gave him about $385 and a few free meals at the casino. Every slot machine displays a notification that any malfunctions will void any winnings. Slot Machine Obviously Malfunctions. Resorts World has said that it is obvious that the win was due to a malfunction, and we tend to agree with them. The woman was playing a slot machine called Bookman and this game advertised a maximum jackpot of $6500.

• Casino Slot Machine Malfunction
• Slot Machine Malfunction
• Slot Machine Malfunction Lawsuit Dropped
• Casino Machine Malfunction

Katrina Bookman was playing penny slots when the screen indicated she had won a $42.9M payout. But when she tried to collect, the casino told her it was all a big mistake.

NEW YORK (AP) — A woman who appeared to win a life-changing $42.9 million jackpot at a New York City casino is threatening to sue after being told the big payout she was shown was simply the result of a malfunction.

Katrina Bookman was playing the penny slot machine at Resorts World Casino in August when it displayed a message that read, 'Printing Cash Ticket. $42,949,642.76.' She even took a selfie next to the screen to celebrate. But when Bookman tried to collect, the casino told her it was all a big mistake and she was only owed the $2.25 balance she had on the machine.

'Machine malfunctions are rare, and we would like to extend our apologies to Ms. Bookman for any inconvenience this may have caused,' the casino said in a statement

The New York State Gaming Commission investigated and said the bogus payout was 'clearly a display malfunction.' The machine was taken out of service, repaired and put back a day later, the commission said.

The machine's maximum payout is $6,500. Resorts World tells The Associated Press that the Gaming Commission told it the casino cannot legally pay Bookman even that amount because a malfunction voids all plays under state law. However, the Gaming Commission told the AP that there are no rules barring Resorts World from offering Bookman money to resolve the situation, even though she didn't win anything.

Resorts World said Bookman printed out a voucher ticket to receive her $2.25 balance on the machine, but her lawyer disputes that.

Alan Ripka sent a letter to the casino demanding it resolve what he describes as 'a terrible situation.' The casino responded that the machine's manufacturer should be held liable, Ripka said. He believes a lawsuit could be Bookman's only option and added that the court can figure out who's at fault.

Ripka is hoping Resorts World will 'come up with a resolution' to the dispute. He questions whether the broken machine means everyone who used it prior to Bookman should also get their money back.

'If the machine was broken, does that mean nobody could have ever been a winner?'

Casino Slot Machine Malfunction

While some people are lucky enough to win big at casinos, the hardest part can sometimes be collecting the winnings.

Inside Edition’s investigative team found people who thought they'd be taking home huge jackpots, only to discover that wasn't the case.

Katrina Bookman, 44, thought she hit a $42.9 million jackpot at Resorts World Casino in Queens, N.Y., in 2016. She even posed next to the winning machine as it displayed her earnings.
“I thought it was my lucky day,” she told Inside Edition.

Crowds started to surround Katrina to congratulate her, but soon security took her aside and she was eventually told that the machine had malfunctioned and there would be no payday.

“Anytime a machine hits a lot of money, you are going to claim it’s broke,” Katrina said.

She hired a lawyer, Alan Ripka, to take the casino to court. The case is pending.

“When you walk through the door, you expect if you are risking your money, that if you win, you will be paid,” Ripka said.

Slot Machine Malfunction

Construction worker Jerry Rape, 55, and his wife, Kim, couldn't believe it when a slot machine said he'd won $1.3 million at the Wind Creek Casino in Montgomery, Ala., in 2011.

“I thought I was a millionaire,” he told Inside Edition. “I thought it was my lucky day.”

Slot Machine Malfunction Lawsuit Dropped

But 24 hours after he thought he had “won,' he was also told the 'machine malfunctioned.'

Casino Machine Malfunction

“Very devastating,” he said

He also hired an attorney, Matt Abbott.

“In this circumstance, the Creek Indian tribe was the judge, the jury and ultimate say so on whether they were going to pay a jackpot that [they] should have paid,” said Abbott.

Veronica Castilla was stunned when the machine showed she had won $8.5 million at the Lucky Eagle casino outside Seattle.

“I was excited; I couldn't believe it,” she said. “I was in shock.”

She even took out her camera to snap pictures.

“I started to ask, 'Where's my prize?'” she recalled.

But just like the others, she was told the machine had malfunctioned.

“They took my money but didn’t want to pay my winnings,” she claimed.

Washington is among a handful of states with its own casino lab, where gaming machines are regularly inspected.

“Nationwide, it's extremely rare to see a major machine malfunction, so consumers should feel confident that when they are sitting down at a gaming machine, it's going to function properly,” Heather Songer of the Washington State Gambling Commission told Inside Edition.

That's little solace for Katrina Bookman, Jerry Rape, and Veronica Castillo, who felt like they were millionaires — for at least a few minutes.

“I'm going to fight,' Castillo said. 'This is not over.'

The casinos say malfunctions are extremely rare and when errors occur, any payouts are void. In the cases of Bookman, Rape and Castillo, the jackpots actually exceeded what the machines could pay out.

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