South Jersey Casino Player Still Waiting on $1.2m Payout from Bally’s Atlantic City

Imagine winning a huge prize while spinning a slot game at a local casino, only to find the casino won’t pay up due to what they are calling a glitch. This is exactly the situation that Roney Beal of South Jersey is dealing with. The player visited Bally’s Atlantic City Hotel & Casino in February and played a Wheel of Fortune slot game offered by International Game Technology when she won $1.2 million. The casino quickly said the win was due to a glitch and has not paid out a penny to the player.

After spending hundreds on reel spinning, Beal was excited to see the seven-figure jackpot prize pop up on the game machine. The game indicated she was a winner and listed the $1.2 million prize. However, the New Jersey casino officials of Bally’s said that there was a malfunction, and she did not win the large prize. 

Beal says the casino official came over to talk to her and said, “Lady, get it in your head; you won nothing.” The casino reportedly said the slot machine was subject to a reel tilt, and they decided that they would give her $350 to rectify the situation. 

An attorney representing Beal says the situation is suspicious. IGT, the company that provides payouts for the casino, is refusing to provide the payment. The player thinks the gaming provider is not being honest and is trying to skip out on awarding the prize. 

Beal has petitioned for the machine to be obtained by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement to review its operations. She also wants the casino floor video camera footage to be reviewed. 

Beal’s attorney says he is prepared to file a legal complaint against IGT and Bally’s for $2.56 million. The amount is high due to the $1.28 million jackpot win that included a multiplier. The attorney also plans to file a $1 million emotional distress claim as Beal is still anxious over the incident. She wanted to use the money she won to help people, including her son, who is homeless. 

Bally’s Casino has responded and blamed IGT. They state that the casino is simply the venue that houses the machine and is not responsible for the payout. A spokesperson for IGT has stated that the company is cooperating with the casino to investigate the matter. 

If the case goes to trial, it will be interesting to see if Beal can have witnesses on her side to explain what happened during the incident. According to news reports, she saw the words ‘wild’ and ‘wild x2’ with a spin, which gave her a free spin. This resulted in the word ‘Jackpot’ and a dollar sign. The machine then said, “You’ve won.” 

People behind her got up and shouted over the win, and one man told her she was a millionaire. Once she used the call button to receive help from casino officials, the tilt message appeared. The employee then told her she didn’t win and asked her to leave the venue. 

There is no doubt that Beal will continue to fight for the prize. Now, we will have to wait and see if she can prove that the game did indeed give her a win or if the game developer can prove that the win was the result of a game malfunction. 

This is not the first time such an incident has taken place, and it most likely won’t be the last. It’s a problem that can occur from time to time, leaving players disappointed and having to fight for a chance to secure a prize that may or may not have been won due to game malfunctions.