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    When tech goes wrong: Man who wins $57m on slot machine told it's a software error, offered $100

    By Trevor Mogg | Digital Trends – Tue, Dec 13, 2011

    It wouldn’t matter whether it was at the gambling mecca of Vegas, or, as in the case of Behar Merlaku, at a little-known casino in the tiny Austrian town of Bregenz – if the bells and lights on the slot machine I’m on start ringing and flashing, telling me I’ve won $57 million, then of course I’ll be planning my retirement.

    But when Swiss national Merlaku went to claim his jackpot, owners of the casino simply said there’d been a “software error” and that the 26-year-old was therefore not entitled to the big money prize.

    Instead they offered him $100 and a free meal, which, hardly surprisingly, he rejected. Admittedly, it appeared that the top prize was for a five-slot match, whereas Merlaku had only managed to match four-slots, but with the machine’s screen and accompanying racket telling him he’d won, why wouldn’t he believe it?

    So upset was Merlaku that he has decided to launch a lawsuit against the casino, claiming it should honor the ‘win.’ The incident took place earlier this year, while the legal action will begin next month.

    The Daily Mail reports the lawsuit as likely being the biggest ever claim of its kind – and one which will be closely watched by gaming operators the world over.

    In an interview on Austrian television, Merlaku said that the jackpot had come up loud and clear. “There was music and the sum I had won – nearly 43 million euros – was displayed on a screen.”

    He added, “I was so overjoyed and in my head I began calculating what I could do with all this money.”

    A few months ago, Merlaku told the Austrian Times, “I will fight for this until my death. I don’t accept it. I can’t sleep anymore and I constantly think about the injustice I’ve experienced.”

    In the coming months the hopeful gambler will find out whether a supposed software glitch is a good enough reason to prevent him from getting his hands on the money. If, on the other hand, he does win, he won’t be the only one hitting the jackpot, with his lawyers no doubt pocketing a tidy sum for their trouble.

    The Bregenz establishment is run by Casinos Austria, which operates casinos in more than 15 countries.

    [Image: Richard Goldberg / Shutterstock]

    This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

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    4 comments

    • Aurora Clair
      Aurora Clair  •  Warren, Oregon  •  4 mths ago
      This is just sad. I hope he gets comped a good bit in the law suit.
    • KennethJ
      KennethJ  •  Atlanta, Georgia  •  5 mths ago
      The casino doesn't want to pay out the money which is bull. Its not the winners fault if the machine make the mistake he had nothing to do with it and its the casino job to check their machines and make sure they are in working order. This is bull and the man needs to persue it for as long as it takes to get his money.
    • nabashalam
      nabashalam  •  Madison, Wisconsin  •  5 mths ago
      If I sat down at a black jack table and made a bet and won with a black jack but the casino found out the brand new deck of cards they were using accidentally had an extra ace put in it by a glitch at the card manufacturing company do they have the right to deny payment? Hell no! A wager was made and the bet was won. Game over! Pay up!

      Mr. Merlaku, tell your lawyers that one and I'll leave it up to you how much in legal fees you want to send me after you become a multimillionaire... :)
    • Greed is good
      Greed is good  •  5 mths ago
      Did that offer include a free buffet? Years ago, at what was at that time the Holiday Inn casino on the Vegas strip, a friend of mine was playing poker. He had about $200 in chips and went to the restroom. The woman sitting beside him took the chips and left. When he came back and saw his chips were gone he called security. They said the woman had indeed taken his chips, but the video did not clearly show how many chips she took and so they offered him a free buffet. Casinos are all heart.
     Post a comment
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