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November 4, 2009 12:22 PM

Casino Denies Man Jackpot: Hey Bill Seebeck, Give Us Our $166M Back

Posted by Carlin DeGuerin Miller
VIDEO COURTESY OF CBS AFFILIATE KCBS

TAMPA (CBS) Florida gambler Bill Seebeck was sure he'd hit the jackpot -- literally. He says the slot machine he was playing flashed a winning sum of more than $166 million. Seebeck told CBS affiliate WFTV "I was screaming, I was like up and around screaming."

But the casino says Seebeck's good fortune was a mistake -- a machine malfunction -- and is refusing to pay.

Can you say "call my lawyer?"

Seebeck, a Daytona Beach, Fla., resident, says he'd been gambling at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa, playing for a half hour on the Bally Ultimate Party Spin Slot machine. At $4 a game he'd dropped about eighty bucks before the lights started flashing and bells started ringing. The display flashed an unbelievable winning number: $166,666,666.65.

Casino managers immediately came over and roped off the machine. Seebeck spent the next hour planning what to do with his winnings, but the casino had other plans.

Seebeck was told that the Ultimate Party Spin machine had spun out of control, and he would not be getting his big payday. Seebeck says it was the ultimate buzz kill, saying "I feel let down and ripped off."

The casino asked him to agree in writing that the machine had malfunctioned, and that he was not entitled to the payout. Seebeck -- surprise -- refused to sign, and instead is looking for a lawyer. "They make you think you won and they make everyone around you think you won and then... an hour after it they're saying... we have to investigate this and it's probably a malfunction," Seebeck told WFTV.

Casino spokesman Gary Bitner said the casino is confident there was a malfunction because that particular slot machine's top prize is a mere $99,000.

So will Seebeck at least be getting that much? The casino says it's their policy that a malfunction means no payout whatsoever, even though they still have no idea HOW exactly the machine malfunctioned.

See you in court?

What do you think? Should the casino pay up or does the house always win?



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Add a Comment See all 99 Comments
by bpwhistler November 8, 2009 9:09 AM EST
@bbdogg509 (and everybody else that wants the "victim" to sue"...you need to read up on Native American reservation law. Reservation (tribal land) is not under US jurisdiction. Tribes are sovereign nations. Sort of like embassies. They might be on US soil, but they aren't under US jurisdiction. EVERYBODY knows about diplomatic immunity. In a simplified view...that's what tribes have. They are immune from US civil law. If you aren't a member of the tribe and step on their land...you lose your US civil protections. Contracts formed on tribal land can't be enforced or litigated in a US court. You could win $100 dollars at a tribal casino...and if they decided not to pay you, there would be no recourse. The PR of this happening would eventually shut them down...but the PR for not paying out almost 200 million on one occasion won't even be a hiccup for their cash flow due to negative PR. This man has NO recourse, and will be lucky to walk away with anything. The reason he can't find a decent lawyer to take the case is because the good ones all know there isn't a "leg" to stand on in regards to litigating against a tribally owned casino.
Reply to this comment
by GimGnillort November 8, 2009 1:51 PM EST
Um, actually I don't. What is diplomatic immunity? Thanks, Gim
by nomadc80 November 17, 2009 11:40 PM EST
Haha, you're so funny. Tribes are to under US Federal jurisdiction. They are not under State jurisdiction unless the Federal Jurisdiction puts it in the hands of the state. You don't lose citizenship by stepping on reservations. Wow, I don't know where you got your information, but wow.
by bbdogg509 November 8, 2009 2:14 AM EST
Hell yeah this guy should be given at least the $99,000. And if the Punk casino doesn't wat to pay it, he should sue for the $99,000 + $1,000,000. I hate casino's for this one reason. they can take all your money, but if something goes wrong they owe nothing. Now that i think about it more he should sue for $5,000,000.
Reply to this comment
by bbdogg509 November 8, 2009 2:14 AM EST
Hell yeah this guy should be given at least the $99,000. And if the Punk casino doesn't wat to pay it, he should sue for the $99,000 + $1,000,000. I hate casino's for this one reason. they can take all your money, but if something goes wrong they owe nothing. Now that i think about it more he should sue for $5,000,000.
Reply to this comment
by bpwhistler November 8, 2009 1:30 AM EST
The ethical issue is hazy. Did the man actually "win" or was there truly a malfunction? Was the maximum payout for the machine posted (this is typical of all slot machines)? If there was a malfunction and the maximum payout was posted, no contractual law would ever award him anything.

This is all moot however. This "case" will never see the inside of a court room. Tribal law controls what happens on tribal land. No tribal council will cut its own financial throat. This will never see the inside of a state court room because it will be thrown out. There is no state jurisdiction on tribal land for civil cases...and very little jurisdiction for criminal cases. Whether you like this or not...that's the way it is.

PR wise...the casino should have made a healthy payout for media attention. 10 times the machines posted maximum payout...or something like that.
Reply to this comment
by valentinte November 8, 2009 12:49 AM EST
**** that ****, he should win the total some, theres no opps the casino made a mistake! ********! when they take out money we dont get a GET OUT OF JAIL CARD!
Reply to this comment
by thoughtchallenge November 8, 2009 12:44 AM EST
If the machine clearly stated in plain sight to the patrons that the top prize would be $99,000 then they would have a right to pay only that. Given the gravity of the error and the bad publicity, they should offer the $99,000 plus another $1 million for the sake of keeping their reputation in tact and avoiding a lawsuit that could eventually cost much more.
Reply to this comment
by beep2000 November 8, 2009 12:28 AM EST
The casino is being stupid. They should pay the guy the $99,000 maximum prize and be done with it. That way they instantly stop the negative P.R. and look like heroes. $99,000 is chump change to them.
Reply to this comment
by windiercity November 8, 2009 12:10 AM EST
Stick to the roulette wheel, I say.
Reply to this comment
by doston1 November 7, 2009 8:10 PM EST
a corporation's only motive is profit, so survival is essential. if the payout would bankrupt the corporation, that would be like committing suicide, so it really can't pay. the casino should have had a better plan in place, in case something like this were to happen. it sounds like the casino was unprepared and handled the situation poorly. it would have been best, and probably least damaging, to try to negotiate a more moderate, but high-end payout the casino could afford. the old man might think "meh, this could take years in court, i'll just take the x million." say 2-5 million dollars. *then* get him to sign something. even if they can pay it out, it would probably drive their insurance costs through the roof. i don't know much about the industry, but they're likely insured to a certain degree for catastrophic bad luck. interesting story. i'm gonna keep up with it and see how it turns out.
Reply to this comment
by fstwrtr November 7, 2009 8:07 PM EST
Any Ambulance chasing lawyer will take this case for a percentage.. As they say, you can't win if you don't play
Reply to this comment
by kmonet November 7, 2009 1:21 PM EST
That reminded me I thought I've heard of it happening recently. A quick search brought up a lot of siruations and none of the ones I know of!!!! This has been happening all the time and it's a sham. Not once has a casino paid the winnings they claim is a malfunction and they never will. I have played slots a few times and never will again. People have to show the idiots that they are losing more than the payouts in people who just won't play. It's a total scam and from this point forward anyone who plays deserves to get denied ANY winnings.

http://www.google.com/search?q=casino+refuses+to+pay+jackpot&rls=com.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GPEA_en
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by brianbwb-2009 November 7, 2009 12:20 PM EST
"Seebeck was told that the Ultimate Party Spin machine had spun out of control,..."

Which it should always be, using the true definition of the term "game of chance".

If the machine is under control, that means the game is rigged, Which I believe is illegal, so the casino is basically saying, "this game is fixed, so you don't get the prize".

"Casino spokesman Gary Bitner said the casino is confident there was a malfunction because that particular slot machine's top prize is a mere $99,000."

If this is true, then why was the 6-digit top prize not hard-wired into the machine, or if the machine is computerized, why not programmed as the maximum variable for the output amount? The casino's explanation is highly unlikely.

Now I understand $166 million would probably bankrupt the casino, but at least they should have given a substantial prize, like maybe $5, or $10 million or so with an apology, then both parties might very well have been satisfied.

Instead the casino tries to give nothing, not even the money Seebeck spent to beat the machine.

But hey this is why it is called gambling, and in this case the casino lost. Now since they want to welsh, they may very well have to pay the full amount if this goes to court.

Subjectively, I hope he wins in court, as a message to all casinos that gambling works both ways, as does responsibility when you lose.
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by SAMTORRES66 November 7, 2009 12:03 PM EST
NO slot machine will pay $166 millions...Give the guy $5k to make him go away.
Reply to this comment
by garyl615 November 7, 2009 10:35 AM EST
Well, how do you do my name is malfunction...food for thought or class action suit... It's quite possible that all the machines have been malfunctioning...All casino winnings should be rightfully returned!
Reply to this comment
by blitzder November 7, 2009 9:34 AM EST
They should get an out of court settlement, say for a few million dollars or they will lose thousands of customers for sure. Either way the Casino has to pay up or close down.
Reply to this comment
by msiminski November 7, 2009 9:26 AM EST
PAY HIM THE PRIZE, CHEATERS!!!
Reply to this comment
by Duck_Soap November 7, 2009 9:09 AM EST
As a Las Vegas slot tech we run into this a lot. If it is stated on the award glass that the top award is only $99000 then he is out of luck. And I am sure there is a notice on the machine that states: Any malfunction voids all pays and plays.

Gaming will toss him out on his ear.

Casinos have been dealing with malfunctions, errors and cheats for many years. They have not become so rich by being stupid.
Reply to this comment
by Dgunner November 7, 2009 9:03 AM EST
The machines in most of the eastern tribal casinos won't mistake or malfunction in this manner. WHY? You might asked? The machines are preprogrammed not to align the numbers in any fashion higher than what is put into the numerical software.This incident should be investigated in the direction of a disgruntled employee of the machine manufacturer.The casino itself is not liable but the manufacturer can be sued as a first party to the incident.You see the winner and the casino are both victims. Thats oklahoma law on cherokee land.
Reply to this comment
by ellensmithee November 7, 2009 7:45 AM EST
See you in court, casino!
Reply to this comment
by Minivoyager November 7, 2009 7:42 AM EST
Regardless of where this happened, in an Indian casino or Vegas, this isn't anything new. This happened to my sister in Vegas years ago in the late 70's. She was playing the quarter slots all night when the bells started ringing and lights flashing. The manager ignored her at first, just came over to turn the machine off and walked away like she wasn't even there. When she started shouting for the Manager, he came over with security telling her to leave, that the machine had malfunctioned. It was only a $1,000 payout, what a racket these casinos are!
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