Jackpot or Mistake? Man Sues Casino over $1.6 Million 'Jackpot'

ABC News ^ | Oct. 25, 2007 | JIM AVILA, BETH TRIBOLET,DONNA CHOI and SCOTT MICHELS

[Anti-Bubba182]

For about an hour last August, Gary Hoffman was a very lucky man.

Hoffman was playing the nickel slot machines at the Sandia Resort and Casino on an Indian reservation in New Mexico, when he appeared to hit the jackpot: the machine said he won nearly $1.6 million.

"I became ecstatic," he said.

But the ecstasy was short-lived. 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.[snip].....

[snip]Regardless, a jury may never get chance to hear Hoffman's case. Native American tribes, as independent nations, have their own court systems and can be sued in state courts only under limited circumstances. New Mexico law generally does not allow tribes to be sued in a state court over a contract dispute, Kleiman said.....

[mowowie]

I imagine a casino employee didn’t set the internal payout selector right. I’m sure the payouts on those machines are variable.
Besides the machine now has two signs on it. The first being a very small max payout sign, the other a giant flashing 1.6 Million on the screen.
Since the signs contradict themselves the point is moot.
Pay the guy the money!

[georgiabelle]

I quit going to the Cherrokee Casino when I found out they were being fined daily by the gaming commission because they had the machines percentage was set to low for the gambler. They said they made more money by paying the fines. They should shut them down then see what happened.

[zeugma]

Hoffman was playing the nickel slot machines at the Sandia Resort and Casino on an Indian reservation in New Mexico, when he appeared to hit the jackpot: the machine said he won nearly $1.6 million.

Why is it that I knew this was going to be at an indian casino?

[zeugma]

Sovereign Immunity sure does not work for tax free tobacco sales.

Imagine that. They use the legal fiction of sovereign immunity unless the state figures out it is losing tax money. LOL 

[auggy]

Indiana and Illinois

[RobRoy]

>>I always wonder when it says ‘malfunction voids all pays’.<<

It’s sort of a redundant catch-22 thing: If it pays, it means it is malfunctioning.

[RobRoy]

There was a 60 minutes episode in the nineties about electronic machines. The “guest” showed how they were rigged. The only evidence I needed to know that was the simple fact that a computer programmer working on the program for these machines was GUNNED DOWN in his driveway.

I don’t do the gambling thing, period.

[abner]

Sandia Casino hosts a party for balloonists every year during Fiesta. Last year, the Casino/Reservation made the entire reservation off limits to balloonists to land. If you did land there, you would pay through the teeth and spend most of your day in balloon retrieval.

The next day, all of their balloonist traffic at the casino went ‘poof!’.

They changed their policy. Now most of the reservation is open again to balloonists.

[oh8eleven]

Indian givers?.............
Sorry, but I don't know the meaning of that term.

[Trajan88]

I think this is the second instance I've heard this happening (maybe a year or two ago the same thing happened)... in that instance the guy/gal was given one of those jumbo checks with the winning amount written in... then soon after, the "winner" was told to wait in an office for some time... the tribe's casio operators came in and claimed "machine malfunction."

Advice... stay far away from tribe run casinos... for that matter stay away from all casinos (they've got a license to take your money).

Of course if the take helps reduce or lower the increases in my taxes - I won't mind ;-)

[caver]

Where are they at in Indiana? I live here and know of no Indian reservations.

[caver]

See post 71

Where in Indiana?

[Publius Valerius]

Indiana’s got 11. Five on Lake Michigan, five on the Ohio, and one in French Lick.

[Publius Valerius]

I live here and know of no Indian reservations.

Not Indian reservations; casinos. Indiana has casinos.

[caver]

OK, duh. I need to read closer. I misread the question. Yes, Indiana does have casinos.

My bad. I’ll go away now.

[norwaypinesavage]

Of course it was a mistake. Those things never pay out the big money.

[fish hawk]

Got down to posts five and six before....BINGO!!!!(excuse the pun) Don’t go to any casino, Indian or not if you don’t want to donate. Give it to Free Republic and do some good.

[fish hawk]

I hope by “those” you are meaning “all or any” casinos.

[fish hawk]

What do you care WHO you lose your money too? You’re still out the money.

[Don W]

Outside of Nevada and New Jersey where are you gonna find a non-Indian casino?

Purt near any casino North of the 49th.