Woman Plans on Suing Casino After Slot Machine Malfunction Falsely Shows $43 Million Win

A woman is suing a New York casino after one of its slot machines falsely showed her a $43 million win.

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Katrina Bookman was playing a Sphinx slot machine at a New York Casino in late August when she hit a $43 million jackpot. Ecstatic, Bookman told ABC7 she was immediately thought she'd use the money to buy a barber shop for her son, and use a chunk of the winnings to serve her community.

The only problem? The machine's maximum prize is $6,500, and the casino, Resorts World Casino, is refusing to pay up. ABC7 reports:

She was surrounded by customers, casino personnel and security.

Escorted off the casino floor, she was told to come back the next day for the decision.

"I said what did I win? (The casino representative said,) 'You didn't win nothing,'" she recalled.

Bookman said the only thing the casino offered her was a steak dinner.

The New York State Gaming Commission said Bookman's slot machine malfunctioned. "Malfunctions void all pays and plays," a warning states on all the slot machines in the casino.

Now, Bookman says she plans on suing the casino, whose officials told Bookman she could have the $2.25 she actually earned, as well as a steak dinner.

"They win and the house doesn't want to pay out. To me that's unfair," Bookman's attorney, Alan Ripka, told ABC7. "The machine takes your money when you lose. It ought to pay it when you win."

Bookman said she feels she "should win the max," and that she'll treat the casino director to a steak dinner with the winnings. 

The New York State Gaming Commission told ABC7 that the machine was immediately pulled from the floor and fixed.

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