When a poker machine malfunctions, it is bad news for everyone in the casino – but, sometimes, players get to reap the benefits. In the case of several pokies in British Columbia, Canada, some players were able to earn jackpots worth $5000 although the machines were only programmed to offer up prizes worth $250.
At several casinos operated by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, poker machines experienced quite a few bugs and glitches. One of them saw players being offered jackpots worth several times more than the machine could actually pay out. Due to this bug, the casino paid out $150 000 more than it should have. In the case of one player who was overpaid, the BCLC actually attempted to reclaim the winnings.
According to Abby News, Cathryn Ward was awarded $13 000 on a slot machine that was only supposed to pay out $10 000. Two days after she won, the casino operator approached her to ask for the money back. In the end, it was decided that she should not refund the money because it was not her fault. Dozens of other technical errors were discovered, including a glitch that failed to provide players with their loyalty points.
This particular bug required lottery officials to examine player records in order to find out how many loyalty points were owed to players. A 10% bonus was added as an apology to players, and the entire repayment cost the operator over $500 000. “BCLC strongly believes in the integrity and functionality of all our slot machines and the Encore Rewards Program,” reads a statement from the casino operator.
“As with any technical environment, errors can occur. These numbers represent a very small percentage of the overall millions of transactions that occur in casinos each day.”
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