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Why a $166 million win at the Hard Rock doesn't make cents


The Seminole Tribe of Florida has settled up with a Daytona Beach man who thought he had won a $166 million jackpot Sunday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa.

Bill Seebeck had been playing the Bally Ultimate Party Spin slot machine for about a half-hour spending close to $80. The machine's bells began ringing and the numbers flashed the amount he'd won, according to wire reports.

"$166,666,666.65. So I was screaming. I was up and around screaming...and I have high blood pressure but it went up really fast," he said.

Seebeck spent an hour deciding how he'd spend the money. Then the bad news came.

Casino workers told him the machine had spun out of control, malfunctioned and he wouldn't be paid any money. The casino has since reached an agreement with Seebeck.

In a statement, the casino says:

"The Seminole Hard Rock Casino has made an offer to William Seebeck, and he has accepted, recognizing that the slot machine he was playing on Sunday malfunctioned, in what can be best described to the layman as a "computer glitch." The maximum payout on the Ultimate Party Spin machine played by Seebeck is $99,000, although his bet of $1.50 at the time of the malfunction could have generated a maximum payout of only $2,500, with the right combination. Determination of a malfunction was made by representatives of the machine’s manufacturer and software provider, according to established gaming industry standards, with confirmation from an independent third-party laboratory analysis. The casino has opted to settle this matter for an undisclosed amount as a good faith gesture, and we look forward to welcoming Mr. Seebeck on future visits."

The Seminole Gaming Commission and officials from Bally, the software maker for the slot machine, are heading to Tampa to investigate the malfunction.

While it's easy to criticize the Seminoles, a $166 million payout on a slot is ridiculous -- obviously a malfunction. Here are the recent big winnings, all on progressive machines linked across the country (not sure if this one in Tampa was a progressive or not, it doesn't say).

As you can see, the biggest jackpot ever in Florida has been $3.5 million.

Property Date of Hit Jackpot Game/Wager Amount per line
Immokalee 8/30/2009 $3,577,519.11 Wheel of Fortune $5
Tampa HRH&C 11/25/2008 $2,551,037.56 Wheel of Fortune $5
Coconut Creek 7/19/2008 $2,029,596.52 Wheel of Fortune $.25
Coconut Creek 10/14/2008 $1,469,701.20 Millionaire Sevens $.05
Tampa HRH&C 2/26/2009 $1,195,508.90 Wheel of Fortune $5
Tampa HRH&C 3/8/2009 $833,013.62 Wheel of Fortune $1
Tampa HRH&C 5/10/2009 $776,341.60 Wheel of Fortune $.25
Immokalee 5/10/2009 $539,651.04 Wheel Of Fortune $1
Tampa HRH&C 1/12/2009 $425,245.51 Wheel of Fortune $1
Hollywood HRH&C 12/12/2008 $424,694.38 Quarter Millions $.02
Tampa 10/6/2008 $334,279.84 Wheel of Fortune $1
Tampa 9/13/2009 $1,463,313.30 Millionaire $.05

Categories: Slots (51)


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About the author
Maybe you've made the right play, maybe you haven't. Your heart speeds up, your stomach rumbles.

That's why it's called gambling.

ACTION is a view of the numbers, the psychology and the flavor of gambling here in South Florida, through our lens.

We do have one sure bet. There's something here for you.

NICK SORTAL began playing 3-card "gut" and "Indian poker" on high school band trips, moved on to "night baseball" and "pass the trash" during a Dr. Pepper-infused midnight game in the 1980s at the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, and now play in a regular neighborhood Hold 'Em game in Plantation. I have been given the assignment of writing about the gambling life in South Florida casinos for the Sun-Sentinel...which means sitting around watching poker on TV now counts as research.
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