This week’s casino news features a couple of big wins. While one is legit, the other is an intriguing story where players may have taken advantage of a flaw in the game. We’ll start there as we recap this week’s casino headlines:
New Jersey Slot Machine Payout Controversy Emerges
An interesting controversy is brewing as it has come into question whether an online slot called “Ocean Magic” was exploited by players who knew a flaw in the game.
A group of players won nearly $900,000 combined by playing Ocean Magic at online casino sites within New Jersey. But it appears they were using a defect to their advantage. The players discovered two main flaws. First, the online version allowed bets as high as $3,000 per spin while the brick-and-mortar casinos only allowed $500 per spin. Secondly, if the player didn’t change the denomination and kept playing, the wild would continue moving up in subsequent spins until it disappeared.
So far, the players have successfully collected $400,000. However, the casino likely caught wind of what they were doing partway through and have stopped all payouts since.
We’ve seen these types of malfunction stories play out in the brick-and-mortar casinos in the past. And players should know by now that the casino can withhold any winnings if they feel there was an issue with the machine. Malfunction plays can – and usually are – voided. At the same time, we’re in new territory for these brick-and-mortar casinos building online sites, so they may not have put that in the terms and conditions.
The players who are still waiting for nearly $500,000 to be paid to them have said they will go to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement if casinos don’t follow up and pay out in a timely fashion. Given the ambiguity in the online rules and the amount at stake, we can expect a long, lengthy legal battle.
State Of North Carolina Considers Sports Betting Legislation
Another week, another state is making forays into the sports betting game.
As the conversation about legalization of sports betting plays out in Virginia, Indiana and various other states, North Carolina is now in the fray. A new bill has been introduced to make sports betting legal in the Tar Heel State.
A senior member of the North Carolina State Senate, Jim Davis, put forth Senate Bill 154, at the request of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The legislation would allow the tribe to add sports betting to its service inside two casinos it already operates in North Carolina. Of course, casinos in North Carolina see similar businesses in neighboring states opening up the doors to sports betting and they don’t want to miss out on the profits.
Sports betting legislation is still in its early stages in North Carolina but it’s a positive step that a bill has been crafted.
Las Vegas Resident Wins $1.559 Million On Slot Game
It was a February to remember for one Las Vegas local who took a spin around the slots at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino. The player stepped up to the Aristocrat’s Buffalo Grand slot game at the Suncoast, operated by Boyd Gaming, and collected a cool $1,559,521.68. The winner, who was a woman that refused to be identified, won when the machine landed on the Grand Jackpot section of the bonus wheel.