Buggy slot machine reports $40M payout, woman gets $20

Computers & Mobile Fun & Games
Buggy slot machine reports M payout, woman gets
slot_machine.jpg

Back in March, Louise Chavez placed a 40-cent wager at a slot machine at the Fortune Valley Casino in Central City, Colorado. When the wheels stopped spinning, the machine told her she’d won the jackpot:

People were coming up to me saying I won $42,000,000, or at least $42,000. Lights were flashing, it sounded like a fire truck, the screen said ‘see attendant.’

The casino claimed it was a glitch, returned the $23 she’d put into the machine, bought her breakfast, and comped her a free room for the night.

Now, per this story in IEEE Spectrum, the Colorado Gaming Division has completed its investigation and determined that the reported payout was, indeed, the result of a bug caused by “two Showcase Showdown awards occurring quickly after each other while the Grand Game bonus feature was already in play.” [Thanks, Glen!]

20 thoughts on “Buggy slot machine reports $40M payout, woman gets $20

  1. Maker Dino says:

    OK I’ll admit that I am indeed soliciting responses here… you saw the title of this post. So what do you think?

    Oh… here’s the comment guidelines:
    https://makezine.com/comments/

    1. Sean Michael Ragan says:

      Brief answer: Because I am a maker and I think it’s interesting. But I’ll admit it is a bit meandering. The connection in my mind has to do with the buggy software, but maybe even that it is a stretch. Sorry!

    2. What says:

      Pretty sure filler and unrelated content has been a problem since somewhere just before this:

      http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/05/opening_the_mailbag.html

      Interesting: yes.
      Make related: not at all.

      At least this isnt an attempt at a political statement…

  2. Phillip Torrone says:

    @Maker Dino – i think it’s a really interesting story, after reading it i googled around to see how slot machines work, some previous exploits and the math behind them. the constant flow of ideas and thought starters is a good thing, everything doesn’t need to be a how-to.

  3. Patrick says:

    “Make related: not at all”

    You’re kidding, right? This story is a fantastic example of the need for rigorous testing and quality control in the things we make.

    1. What says:

      It is a fantastic example that everything else in the world needs that too. Just because something is related to everything doesnt mean it is relevant.

      Anyway, I really agree with you, but that could easily have been talked about in an article “Bugfixing 101” or even a link to someone who has already done something similar.

      1. Ray says:

        They’re the editors of this website and magazine, it’s their prerogative alone to decide what does and does not fit into their publishing scheme. And this website is brought to us free of charge.

        Considering those two factors, we’re not really in a position to dictate what they should or shouldn’t post.

        1. voodoo says:

          That might be true – but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t open to (or we shouldn’t give) feedback about what we want to read.

          And I think that relevancy is worth discussing, because as soon as an information resource gets watered down with irrelevant content you lose exactly what it is that attracted your audience in the first place.

          1. Carnes says:

            Yeah, i get what you’re saying.. but it IS interesting. MB could do something like idle on Slashdot? So purists can filter out fringe articles and focus on hardcore.

  4. Maker Dino says:

    Wow… lively discussion with many good points and perspectives I hadn’t thought of!
    I’m glad I asked… :)

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I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

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