Woman Who Won $43 Million At Casino Offered Steak Dinner Instead Of Winnings
Katrina Bookman was playing the slots at the Resorts World Casino in Jamaica, Queens when she secured what would have been the largest slot machine jackpot in U.S. History – $42,949,672.
She took a selfie with the machine to mark the moment, and later said her whole body went “numb” when she saw the life-changing figure. Bookman was told to come back the next day to discu
ss her winnings, but when she asked an employee what she’d be walking away with, he responded: “You didn’t win anything.”
The New York State Gaming Commission said Bookman’s machine had malfunctioned, and that she’d actually won just $2.25. The machine had a disclaimer stating ‘malfunctions void all pays and plays’, and as a result the commission said that they were required by law to give Bookman only what she’d actually won. As a gesture of goodwill, the casino offered Katrina a complimentary mouthwatering steak dinner.
So, Bookman hired a lawyer and filed a lawsuit over the “ridiculous” claims. “You can’t claim a machine is broken because you want it to be broken. Does that mean it wasn’t inspected? Does it mean it wasn’t maintained?,” attorney Alan Ripka told CNNMoney. “And if so, does that mean that people that played there before [Bookman] had zero chance of winning?” The case was eventually settled out of court.
