Woman Sues Casino For 43 Million 2018

Posted By admin On 14/04/22

Woman who ‘won’ £34MILLION on New York slot machine sues casino after they offered her £1.76 and a steak dinner instead Katrina Bookman, from New York, even took a selfie with the machine as. Katrina Bookman captured national attention last year when she played a 'Sphinx Slot Machine' at Resorts World Casino in Queens, New York, and it appeared as though she'd won $43 million - which.

© Provided by New York Daily News Katrina Bookman said the entire incident has left her with 'mental anguish' - mbbirdy/Getty Images/iStockphoto

The Queens woman who was offered a steak dinner after staff said her $43 million win at a slot machine was the result of a glitch is suing the casino for the entire jackpot.

Katrina Bookman in August posed for a selfie at New York’s Resorts World Casino in front of the “Sphinx Slot Machine,” its screen promising her a grand prize of $42,949,672.76. When she attempted to collect her cash, however, casino employees told her she hadn’t actually won and offered her a complimentary steak dinner and $2.25 — the prize they claim her slot machine actually should have delivered.

Bookman’s lawyer, Alan Ripka, told CNN Money his client turned down the chump change and the dinner along with it. Instead, the mother of four filed a lawsuit against the casino off Rockaway Boulevard in the Queens County Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Ripka is seeking $43 million in damages from the resort. The suit also takes aim at Genting New York LLC, the casino’s parent company, and International Game Technology — the maker of the slot machine — for alleged common-law negligence, breach of contract and negligent representation, according to the 17-page complaint.

“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?” Ripka told CNN. “And if so, does that mean that people that played there before [Bookman] had zero chance of winning?”

A resort spokesperson in August said Bookman’s win was the “result of an obvious malfunction,” noting the Sphinx Slot Machine’s highest payout was $6,500.

The state Gaming Commission at the time also dismissed the win as the machine displays a sign stating “Malfunctions void all pays and plays.”

Ripka said he repeatedly asked Resorts World Casino what caused the machine to glitch but has not yet received an answer according to CNN.

“I feel like they did me real dirty,” Bookman told the Daily News in August.

In the complaint, Bookman alleges the entire ordeal has caused her “mental anguish” and resulted in a financial setback because she did not have “the chance and/or opportunity to win.”

A slot machine told her she hit a massive jackpot, but the casino claimed it was a machine error and offered her a meal on the house. Now, she's taking this to court.

Woman Sues Casino For 43 Million 2018Woman Sues Casino For 43 Million 2018

Katrina Bookman captured national attention last year when she played a 'Sphinx Slot Machine' at Resorts World Casino in Queens, New York, and it appeared as though she'd won $43 million -- which would have been the largest jackpot ever won on the slots in U.S. history. She excitedly snapped a selfie with the screen, believing her life was forever changed.

But when Bookman came to collect her prize, a casino worker told her she hadn't actually won anything and offered her nothing but a complimentary steak dinner and $2.25.

Woman Sues Casino For 43 Million 2018 Vegas

Bookman's lawyer said she did not accept either the dinner or the $2.25.

At the time, Resorts World spokesman Dan Bank apologized and told CNN that 'casino personnel were able to determine that the figure displayed on the penny slot was the result of an obvious malfunction -- a fact later confirmed by the New York State Gaming Commission.'

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The New York State Gaming Commission also said in August that the machine displayed a disclaimer stating, 'Malfunctions void all pays and plays.'

Bookman's attorney Alan Ripka says he has been fighting for months to get the casino to pony up more cash for Bookman, but to no avail. So, on June 14, he filed a lawsuit.

Ripka also says the casino's excuses are 'ridiculous.'

Woman Sues Casino For 43 Million 2018 Conventional

'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?,' Ripka told CNNMoney. 'And if so, does that mean that people that played there before [Bookman] had zero chance of winning?'

Ripka also said he's asked Resorts World Casino to explain how the machine malfunctioned, but the company did not offer him anything.

The complaint alleges that Resorts World Casino was 'negligent' and did not adequately maintain their lottery equipment. It also posits that Bookman suffered 'mental anguish' as a result of the incident and she sustained a 'significant' monetary setback because she 'lost the chance and/or opportunity to win' on the machine.

The complaint also names video lottery operator Genting New York LLC -- which is Resorts World Casino's parent company -- and slot machine maker International Game Technology as defendants.

Woman Sues Casino For 43 Million 2018

Ripka says he plans to seek at least $43 million in damages.

The casino did not immediately respond to CNNMoney's request for comment regarding the lawsuit.

The suit is similar to an earlier case against an Iowa casino.

Woman Sues Casino For 43 Million 2018 Mart

The Chicago Tribune reported that a court ruled in favor of an Iowa casino when a penny slot machine indicated that a 90-year-old woman won $41 million. The court ruled that 'the game's rules capped jackpots at $10,000 and didn't allow bonuses,' according to the newspaper.