Broken Slot Awards $43 Million

Paul Kusznirewicz was playing on the Buccaneer slot machine when the bells and lights started going crazy. The machine was telling him “Call attendant. You have won a jackpot of over $42 million.” He couldn’t believe his eyes; the 55 year old was stunned. The win took place at the Georgian Downs Casino in Innisfil, Ontario on December 8th.

All of Paul’s dreams were bouncing in his head – all schooling paid for his kids, a new car and a new house. But within 5 minutes, those dreams were gone. The casino attendant arrived and congratulated him on his win but after a second look the employee said “Oh. But look at how big. I’ll have to call a supervisor.” The casino staff quickly hurried over to the machine including security, several slot technicians, and two supervisors. A crowd of people gathered round as pictures were taken. Then the bad news was broke to Paul, “We can’t pay you that money because the machine is broken.” To ease the blow, Paul was offered four vouchers for dinner buffets at the casino.

Paul’s lawyer, Bryan McPhadden, served papers to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG). Paul firmly believes he deserves something more. Allison Sparkes who is a spokesperson for OLG said “It malfunctioned. It clearly malfunctioned. Each machine has a posted sign that says malfunction voids all pays and plays.” The Buccaneer slot game was a 2 cent per play machine with a max payout of $9,025. Paul’s lawyer has stated that the machine does not state the maximum payout. Other machines clearly state the max payout, so it is unclear that the millions cannot be won on the machine.

After a week of talking with OLG, McPhadden says that OLG has never shown any evidence that there was any malfunction of any kind. Sparkes claims that there was a report afterwards stating that an error message was on the display and the slot machine was not in jackpot mode. Paul and his wife are steadfast that there was no error messages and said “All the normal lights, bells and the like associated with a win were shown on the machine and this is what attracted the OLG floor attendant to go to the machine. OLG should release those photographs now if it is taking this position. Had OLG provided us with these long ago, as it has had ample opportunity to do, we may not have commenced the action or continued with it."

The investigation continues by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.