In reversal, Pa. casino pays man $102,000 despite mistake
The Associated Press
01/27/2007
A slots parlor, reversing an earlier decision, will pay a man $102,000 although officials say a message that flashed across a screen proclaiming him a winner was a mistake, a casino official said Saturday.
"Well, we contacted him (Friday) night and told him that we had finished our investigation, and that even though there clearly was an error _ it was human error _ we were going to make good on the $102,000 winning," said Dave Jonas, the president and chief executive officer of Philadelphia Park.
Stephen Wilkinson, a retired carpenter from Feasterville, was playing the slot machine on Monday when a message board attached to it lit up and told him he had won. His name appeared in the message because he was using a casino-issued card to track his bets. But a casino official later told him the message was a mistake and he would not get the money.
Wilkinson filed a complaint with Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, which opened an investigation that is continuing. A board spokesman said the casino would be fined heavily if found to be denying a jackpot that someone had legitimately won.
Jonas said Saturday that the casino wanted to do the right thing.
Philadelphia Park is one of three slots parlors that have opened recently in Pennsylvania. Eight more are scheduled to open by next year. |
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