Indian Casino Refuses To Pay Jackpot

J.J. Jackson* | November 2, 2007

For about an hour last August, Gary Hoffman was a very lucky man.

Hoffman was playing the nickel slot machines at the Sandia Resort and Casino on an Indian reservation in New Mexico when he appeared to hit the jackpot: the machine said he won nearly $1.6 million.

“I became ecstatic,” he said.

But the ecstasy was short-lived. Hoffman says in a lawsuit filed earlier this year that Sandia refused to pay, claiming that the machine malfunctioned. Instead, he said, they gave him about $385 and a few free meals at the casino.

“I won money, fair and square, and I’ve been cheated out of my winnings,” Hoffman told ABC News.

The casino says it’s not responsible for what it describes as a computer error and says it offered Hoffman the maximum payout of $2,500 for that particular slot machine. But, a jury may never decide who is right. Lawyers told ABC News that gamblers like Hoffman may have little legal recourse against Native American casinos, which sometimes operate beyond the reach of U.S. courts.

I say that this is exactly the problem when you start allowing little states, within states. $1.6 million is a drop in the bucket to these multi-billion dollar casinos who are responsible for the machines that they are more than happy to let people stick money down for hours on end. But heaven forbid that they have to pay … malfunction of not.

That is a situation for the casino and the manufacturer to hash out. But Mr. Hoffman is entitled to his winnings and the casino should pay … or else. I’m sure their funds are held somewhere that we can get to them and compensate Mr. Hoffman with interest.

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