Woman wins $43 million jackpot, casino refuses to pay

Louise Chavez of Denver, Colorado, was playing slots at the Fortune Valley Casino in Central City, Colorado on Friday night. She got excited when the machine she was on started flashing, displaying a message that she had won almost $43 million. The casino says the machine was broken, and gave Chavez some free meals and a hotel room instead.

BBC: $43m slot machine win a ‘mistake’ says Colorado casino

An American woman named Louise Chavez thought she had won $43m on a slot machine, but was later been told that a mistake was made.

According to the Fortune Valley Casino in Central City, Colorado, the slot machine had “malfunctioned.”
It seems Chavez will never see a penny of jackpot.

Chavez earns about $12,000 a year, so when the lights and bells went off, she was very excited.

“All of a sudden I saw the light come on on top of the machine. I’m like, ‘Oh, my God! Oh, my God!’ I’d never had this feeling before in my life, never.”

Gaming officials blame an unfortunate computer glitch.

Chavez said she was given a free room for the night, and some food for compensation, along with the $20 bet she put into the faulty slot machine.

“My emotions changed from excited, thrilled, to very upset.”

ABC News: Woman Wins $42 Million Jackpot? Not So Fast

When the lights started flashing on a slot machine at the Fortune Valley Casino, in Central City, Colorado, Louise Chavez thought she had won $43 million.

Instead, the casino claimed the machine malfunctioned, and all Chavez got out of it was some free meals and a room for the night.

“I put my money in there,” Chavez explained on Good Morning America. “Whatever I won, I should get… There are dreams and there are things I’d like to do — helping my family, helping my kids. That’s why I’m disappointed. I just don’t know.”

Fortune Valley communications director Joe Behm said, “We’ve been open for 15 years at Fortune Valley and this is the first time we’ve had something of this magnitude.”

“It’s unfortunate when it happens,” said Don Burmania, spokesperson for the Colorado Division of Gaming. “We don’t like it to happen, the casinos don’t like it to happen and in this case, the patron didn’t like it, either.”

The New York Times: Colorado: Instead of $43 Million, How About Waffles?

A US woman won $42.9 million off a penny bet in a slot machine at a Colorado casino, only to have her dreams doused when the casino claimed that the jackpot message was in fact an error. Colorado gambling authorities are now testing the machine in questions, while the rest state’s 39 casinos struggle to reassure gamblers.

Louise Chavez of Denver got the jackpot on Friday while playing at the Fortune Valley Casino in Central City. The listed its top prize as $251,000. She said that she was given a free breakfast as compensation, but that she is owed much more.

Louise Chavez of Denver, Colorado, was playing slots at the Fortune Valley Casino in Central City, Colorado on Friday night. She got excited when the machine she was on started flashing, displaying a message that she had won almost $43 million. The casino says the machine was broken, and gave Chavez some free meals and a hotel room instead.

BBC: $43m slot machine win a ‘mistake’ says Colorado casino

An American woman named Louise Chavez thought she had won $43m on a slot machine, but was later been told that a mistake was made.

According to the Fortune Valley Casino in Central City, Colorado, the slot machine had “malfunctioned.”
It seems Chavez will never see a penny of jackpot.

Chavez earns about $12,000 a year, so when the lights and bells went off, she was very excited.

“All of a sudden I saw the light come on on top of the machine. I’m like, ‘Oh, my God! Oh, my God!’ I’d never had this feeling before in my life, never.”

Gaming officials blame an unfortunate computer glitch.

Chavez said she was given a free room for the night, and some food for compensation, along with the $20 bet she put into the faulty slot machine.

“My emotions changed from excited, thrilled, to very upset.”

ABC News: Woman Wins $42 Million Jackpot? Not So Fast

When the lights started flashing on a slot machine at the Fortune Valley Casino, in Central City, Colorado, Louise Chavez thought she had won $43 million.

Instead, the casino claimed the machine malfunctioned, and all Chavez got out of it was some free meals and a room for the night.

“I put my money in there,” Chavez explained on Good Morning America. “Whatever I won, I should get… There are dreams and there are things I’d like to do — helping my family, helping my kids. That’s why I’m disappointed. I just don’t know.”

Fortune Valley communications director Joe Behm said, “We’ve been open for 15 years at Fortune Valley and this is the first time we’ve had something of this magnitude.”

“It’s unfortunate when it happens,” said Don Burmania, spokesperson for the Colorado Division of Gaming. “We don’t like it to happen, the casinos don’t like it to happen and in this case, the patron didn’t like it, either.”

The New York Times: Colorado: Instead of $43 Million, How About Waffles?

A US woman won $42.9 million off a penny bet in a slot machine at a Colorado casino, only to have her dreams doused when the casino claimed that the jackpot message was in fact an error. Colorado gambling authorities are now testing the machine in questions, while the rest state’s 39 casinos struggle to reassure gamblers.

Louise Chavez of Denver got the jackpot on Friday while playing at the Fortune Valley Casino in Central City. The listed its top prize as $251,000. She said that she was given a free breakfast as compensation, but that she is owed much more.