Man wins 57 million casino says computer software glitch

A man in Austria represents a casino slot machine that tells him he has won almost $58 million.nWhen he requests his payout, the casino gives him $100 and a free of charge meal.nby Chris Matyszczyk December 12, 2011 4:44 PM PST nFollow @ChrisMatyszczyk nGet email alerts nIf you've actually been to a casino, you know that the overall purpose of the exercise would be to, well, lose.nnVery periodically, people do gain. But do they always come out with the money?nI muse on this state of world affairs because of the story of Behar Merlaku. Merlaku, a 26-year-old Kosovar Albanian, was apparently pushing the buttons on a slot machine game in Bregenz, Austria, when it suddenly told him he had won a lot of money: forty-three million euros--which, at current prices, is simply under $57 million.nnFew on this earth could have felt anything apart from numb elation at finding that their dependence on The Man was eventually over.nI feel rage against the machine.n( Credit: CC Andres Rueda/Flickr) However, Merlaku was merely left with all the numb part of that after trying to collect his prize. For a free of charge meal.nnI have no reason to believe that any dinner might be value, say, $56 million for, since the Daily Mail studies, he was provided around $100. That one was, perhaps, worth nearer to $56. Casinos Austria AG, you see, insisted that he had only had four of the five matches on his slot machine.nThe bells, whistles and hosannas that the device had released telling him he had acquired a huge vat of income had been simply a application error.nnI know you can see where this is certainly going. No, not to a fine casino lunch, but to a fine Austrian court. nMerlaku did not accept the casino's relatively significantly less than generous offer. He was reportedly banned by the casino. The casino allegedly handed the, um, dollar to the folks who'd made the position machine.nCasino Austria AG also reportedly happened to mention that in Austria no jackpot may be greater than 2 million euros, when he pressed for his dues legally. Which can leave some bystanders most confused. nnMerlaku's attorneys told the Mail: 'There was no contemporaneous independent assessment of the claimed error, and no opportunity has since been afforded by the organization for the device computer software to be analyzed, besides by Atronic, a dealer to it of jackpot controllers. In case you have almost any questions concerning in which in addition to the best way to make use of online casino games, you'll be able to e-mail us from our site. 'nMerlaku himself was quoted by the Mail as saying: 'The jackpot arrived up loud and clear. There is music and the sum I had won--nearly 43 million euros--was displayed over a screen.'nnMusic does usually indicate a change of fortune. In cases like this, Merlaku even captured footage of his change of fotune on his cellular phone. Some observers feel this could not have been a very important thing since it shows he only had four of the five reels aligned.nThe situation has its first hearing in January and it will be fascinating to see if the casino generates a pc software expert to assist it defend its case.nnSome may find it surprising, perhaps, the casino does not appear to have reached some kind of equitable (and secret) agreement with Merlaku. Some may possibly bemoan the idea that it chose to provide such a modest reward to grind one man's pleasure at his new-found wealth.nnBut people who run casinos are hardened characters. You're designed to take pleasure in the thrill and the expectation. The actual prize, this indicates, needs to be prized from the cold, hard fingers of the banker. nnWhich isn't, in fact, so different from the remainder of life, could it be?