A New Jersey woman is pursuing a federal lawsuit against Bally's Atlantic City, claiming the casino wrongfully denied her a $2.5-million slot machine jackpot after citing a machine malfunction, according to Shore News Network.
Key Takeaways
- Roney Beal alleges Bally's Atlantic City wrongfully denied her a $2.5-million jackpot win.
- A federal judge allowed the breach-of-contract lawsuit to proceed despite Bally's dismissal request.
- The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement is investigating.
Roney Beal argues she rightfully won the Wheel of Fortune Wide Area Progressive jackpot Feb. 25 but was later told the payout was void due to a "tilt" error. She alleges staff opened and manipulated the slot machine without her consent after she triggered the jackpot.
The case is being heard in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey. Judge Christine O'Hearn rejected Bally's attempt to have the lawsuit administratively terminated earlier this week. This decision keeps Beal's breach-of-contract claim active for what she calls an aleatory contract - one tied to uncertain events such as jackpots.
Beal first filed her lawsuit in state court in June before it was moved to federal court in July. Her negligence claim was previously dismissed under the state's economic loss doctrine, leaving the contract dispute as the main issue.
Bally's maintains the jackpot was void due to a legitimate error and cites an ongoing state investigation.
Evolution fined for dealer and game errors
While the jackpot dispute moves to federal court, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has penalized suppliers of live online casino games over operational errors. Live casino provider Evolution was fined $12,000 after regulators found multiple dealing mistakes at its Atlantic City studios.
The first issue was reported on June 15, 2021, when a dealer incorrectly dealt at a blackjack table. A further mistake occurred Jan. 6, 2023, when incorrect on-screen prompts at a virtual blackjack table were used for 26 hours.
Further problems included roulette croupiers at Hard Rock failing to meet the four-revolution minimum rule, with several admitting they were unaware of the requirement. In September 2023, dealers at Ocean Casino Resort unknowingly used incomplete blackjack decks for 438 rounds across 16 hours.
Only the 2021 dealer faced disciplinary action. Regulators said the other incidents did not result in fines or punishments for staff, but Evolution was still held accountable.
New Jersey gaming revenue climbs in July
New Jersey gaming revenue showed strong growth in July, according to the Division of Gambling Enforcement. Its latest report showed $606.2 million in revenue from casinos, iGaming, and sports betting, up 10.7% from last year and 4.2% from June.
Casino revenue for the nine casino hotels in the state was $284.1 million, a gain of 4.3%, and internet gaming totaled $247.3 million, an increase of 26.6%. Sports betting revenue, however, slipped 6.6% to $74.8 million. Total gross revenue tax stood at $81.7 million.
Year-to-date figures reflected similar trends, with casino wins at $1.66 billion, up 2.2%, and internet gaming at $1.63 billion, up 23.3%. Sports wagering revenue fell 4% to $626.8 million.
