Woman 'Wins' $43M on Slots; Casino Says Not So Fast

There are mechanical malfunctions on the order of you losing out on some pocket change and a bag of Fritos, and there are mechanical malfunctions on the order of the one Katrina Bookman faced in August, which amounts to a loss of $43 million and a steak dinner. As ABC7 reports, the single mom of four was playing slots at the Resorts World Casino in New York when the machine flashed that she'd won $42.9 million, much to Bookman's predictable excitement as she took a selfie with the screen and her partner shot video of the money moment. "I kept thinking about my family," says Bookman, but her joy was short-lived. Casino personnel hustled her off the floor and told her to come back the next day.

When she did, she says, "I said what did I win?" She was told: "You didn't win nothing." Well, to be fair, the casino offered her a steak dinner. The New York State Gaming Commission, meanwhile, ruled that the machine malfunctioned, voiding Bookman's win; it pulled the machine from the floor and fixed it. The max win allowed on the machine is $6,500, but that doesn't appear to be headed Bookman's way, either. She's lawyered up and plans to sue. "The machine takes your money when you lose," says her lawyer. "It ought to pay it when you win." Says Bookman: "I feel I should win the max and I will treat him to a steak dinner." (More gambling stories.)