What would you do if the slot machine you were playing flashed “Jackpot!!! You have won 1.6 million” but the slot machine you were playing was visibly labeled that the maximum jackpot for that machine was $2,500?

That’s what happened to Gary Hoffman, at the Sandia Resort and Casino in New Mexico. He even took a picture with the screen telling him what he had won. The problem is Sandia is saying that it was a mistake, it was a machine malfunction and they refuse to pay. Mr. Hoffman decided it was time to take them to court and get the money he believes he won fairly.

Paul Bardack, attorney for Sandia says "If he had gone into a bank and deposited $1,000 and got back a deposit slip that said a million dollars, he doesn't get to keep the balance," said Bardacke. "It doesn't work that way."

"He knew it was wrong; he knew it was incorrect," Bardacke said. "That's why he took a picture of it immediately."

Sandia Resort and Casino is owned by an Indian tribe and on a Native American Reservation, therefore Hoffman does not have the same legal recourse going through the state court. Native American Tribes are considered “Independent Nations”. So far he has lost his battle with the tribes’ internal review and the state may never hear his case.


- 2007-10-29