Gambling grandma won $41.8 million in slots, casino refused to pay

Illinois grandma, Pauline McKee, who was then 87 years old, went to Waterloo with her family for a reunion that summer of 2011.  She doesn’t really gamble, but at the time, they have wandered off to the Isle Casino Hotel.  She decided to play the slot machine.

She played Miss Kitty, a penny video slot machine.  She has been playing for only a few minutes, which advertised a $10,000 top prize, when she won 185 credits—that’s equivalent to $1.85.

Suddenly, the lights of the machine started flashing and the screen said: “The reels have rolled your way! Bonus award—$41,797,550.16.  She was ecstatic–she got the jackpot prize!  Finally, she’d be able to help her children and her 13 grandchildren financially.

The casino staff was stumped though.  They gave Miss McKee $10 credits so she could play while they check the validity of her winnings.

But the casino refused to pay out.  They argued that what happened was a computer glitch and that such a malfunction “voids all pays and plays.”

The confusion brought the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) into the case.  They sent Miss Kitty for hardware and software analysis to independent testing laboratories in order to confirm if the machine has indeed malfunctioned.

It was found that the software has been programmed to allow as much as $10,000—that that was true enough.  However, they couldn’t explain how the machine got the multi-million bonus message. The Commission voided McKee’s jackpot winnings and instead awarded her the $1.85 credits she won.

In 2012, Pauline McKee sued the Isle Casino for consumer fraud and breach of contract.  The highlight of their case was it was the casino’s responsibility to fix the machine before allowing players to use it. But since they did not, they must honour her win.

The following year, the court sided with the casino.  McKee appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court.  Her lawyers argued that IRGC has no authority in disputes between casinos and their clients.

Aristocrat Technologies, the maker of Miss Kitty, said they are aware their machine will degrade over time which makes it more susceptible to such glitches.  They have informed casinos about this problem with their slot machines.  They recommended to have the bonus feature disabled, which Isle Casino did not do.

The Iowa Supreme Court rejected McKee’s appeal and instead, awarded her the $1.85.  Since then, Pauline McKee has stopped gambling.