 Newsletter Signup
Stay informed with the
NEW Casino City Times newsletter! Related Links
|
Gaming News
Las Vegas Slot Player Continues Legal Battle21 November 2000LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Nov. 21, 2000 – As reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal: “Despite three years of legal disputes and regulatory and court rulings that haven't gone his way, slot gambler Joe Pepitone continues to fight for what he believes he won: a $463,895 jackpot at Arizona Charlie's. ”The Las Vegas butcher's face ignites with emotion when he talks about the day in October 1997 when he inserted three nickels into a slot machine at the Decatur Road casino and pulled the lever. ”He says four symbols lined up on the machine's pay line and the game's lights flashed, but moments later its reels went into a reverse spin. ”Officials for slot maker International Game Technology say it was a classic example of a malfunction, a mechanical error that voided the computer's jackpot. ”When the slot machine went haywire, no casino cameras were focused on that bank of machines. Pepitone said that could have offered the evidence of a legitimate jackpot. ”…According to documents filed with the Gaming Control Board, the malfunction was caused by an extra coin being jammed into the machine's slot, blocking the computer reader from working properly. ”…The control board ruled against Pepitone's claim a little more than a month after the incident. An appeal to a hearing officer and a District Court judge failed to reverse the verdict. ”…[Nikolas Mastrangelo, Pepitone’s lawyer] said he wanted to hire an independent slot technician to determine if the machine had malfunctioned, but the machine was later removed from the casino's floor and destroyed…” |