$US57 Million Winner Loses Prize After Casino Argues Slot Machine "Software Glitch"


Have you ever imagined how would it feel to hit a $US57 million jackpot in a casino’s slot machine? Must be amazing. Now, what would you do if the casino wanted to avoid paying you because of a “software glitch”?

That’s exactly what happened to this man, 26-year-old Behar Merlaku.

Merlaku won the big jackpot playing a slot machine in a casino in Bregenz, Austria. The machine screamed the winning, all bells, whistles and flashing lights. But when he went to claim his prize, the casino owners said it was all a mistake, a “software glitch.” They argued that the jackpot went off erroneously and that Merlaku’s game didn’t hit the required five matches. He only got four, they said. So instead of $US57 million, he got a hundred dollars and a free meal.

A hundred dollars.

And a free meal.

Instead of fifty-seven million dollars.

I would get so mad I would torch the place. Or at least pee on the carpet.

The owners say it’s a software glitch, but wouldn’t it be possible the mistake was on the display instead of the result? Perhaps the rolling mechanism got jammed and the machine correctly called the jackpot while showing an erroneous symbol.

Obviously, Merlaku thinks that the whole thing is a ruse. He argues that, if the machine called the prize, then it is a prize and he should get his millions. That’s why he has sued the company that owns the casino.

I hope he wins for real this time. [Daily Mail]

Base photo by Elaine Davis/Shutterstock


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