Australian Casino Finally Drops Charges Against Jackpot Winner
An Australian gambler was cleared of charges yesterday that a jackpot he hit at a casino last year was due to a malfunction of the machine. Jens Peter Dragon had won $22,000 on a simulated horse racing game at the Adelaide SkyCity Casino in July 2006, but was subsequently told the game had not been in proper working order.
Dragon was prosecuted under an Australian law making it illegal to secure a benefit by taking advantage of a machine malfunction. This began an 18 month ordeal that cost Dragon his winnings and more in legal fees, only to have prosecutors formally admit they had no evidence, leading to the dismissal of the case. If convicted, Dragon faced a possible 10-year sentence.
A number of cases have arisen worldwide in which casinos have refused to honor jackpots, claiming machine malfunction.
Dragon remains unhappy, and says he will investigate possible civil action against SkyCity for the monetary problems and mental stress caused by the unfounded charges.
It seems both poor form and legally questionable for casinos to try to blame customers when machines malfunction. Is it not incumbent upon the casino to be responsible for their own equipment? And where are the cases in which the machine malfunctioned in such a way as to pay out nothing? Are people to believe that never happens?
Everyone knows even small casinos generate millions of dollars in revenue. If a machine improperly gives a gambler a jackpot, certainly of the size in Dragon's case, the best possible move for the casino would be to announce the flaw, and then honor the payout. The positive publicity would more than make up for the glitch.
As long as the customer was not deliberately tampering with the machine, the casino only hurts itself by pursuing these kind of actions. The only possible message sent is that the casino expects to win all the time, and will begrudge anyone who leaves ahead.
