Slot Machine Told Her She Won $2.5M. Casino Said No

During a trip to Bally's Casino in Atlantic City at the end of February, Roney Beal says she'd put hundreds of dollars into a Wheel of Fortune slot machine when it suddenly "went off, says, 'you're a winner' and gold coins popped out." The 72-year-old tells 6ABC she won the $1.2 million jackpot, plus a multiplier. The New York Post says she puts her ultimate winnings at $2.56 million. But as soon as she hit the service button, security came over and told her the machine had a "reel tilt" malfunction, voiding the apparent win. A Bally's attendant opened up the machine and hit various buttons inside before offering her a win of $350, she says.

"They fooled with the machine before anybody else had the opportunity to take a look at this," possibly tampering with evidence of his client's win, Beal's attorney says. He's calling for the casino, the New Jersey Gaming Enforcement, and International Game Technology (Bally's gaming company, which is responsible for the slot machine payout) to launch an independent forensic review of the machine as well as videos of the casino floor. He says he also plans to file a legal complaint for the amount Beal says she's owed, plus an emotional distress claim. In a similar case in 2000 (also involving a Wheel of Fortune machine), a man was ultimately awarded the $1.3 million jackpot he was originally denied. (More Atlantic City stories.)