Bally’s Atlantic City, IGT Given 30 Days to Explain Why $1.2 Million Jackpot Wasn’t Paid
Posted on: August 22, 2025, 11:38h.
Last updated on: August 22, 2025, 01:12h.
- A woman claims she won a $1.2 million jackpot at Bally’s Atlantic City
- Bally’s and IGT say the slot malfunctioned
- A legal case regarding the matter is ongoing
Bally’s Atlantic City and slot machine manufacturer IGT have been given 30 days by a federal court to provide evidence as to why a jackpot worth $1,277,954.35 supposedly won in February 2024 wasn’t paid.
Plaintiff Roney Beal, 73, of Shamong Township, NJ, claims she and her husband, Richard Beal, were long-time customers of Bally’s Atlantic City. In her federal complaint against the Boardwalk resort, Beal says she was an invited guest of Bally’s during the weekend of Feb. 25, 2024.
On that Sunday, Beal alleges she was playing a Wheel of Fortune wide-area progressive slot machine when she hit the jackpot. But when a slot attendant arrived, the Bally’s employee informed Beal that the machine had malfunctioned and that she hadn’t won.
The Beals subsequently sued Bally’s and IGT, the latter being the gaming manufacturer of the slot terminal that is responsible for handling the progressive’s payouts.
Case Continued
Initially filed in state court, Beal’s complaint was moved to New Jersey’s federal district court in July 2024. The case has dragged on for more than a year, leading to this week’s ruling from Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Pascal.
Pascal granted Bally’s motion to “administratively terminate” the plaintiff’s complaint. However, the ruling didn’t “constitute a dismissal under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure,” but provides Bally’s and IGT 30 days to report back with an update of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement’s (NJDGE) investigation.
Bally’s says the NJDGE’s probe of the incident “remains ongoing.”
Bally’s and IGT say the Wheel of Fortune machine in question experienced a “Reel Tilt” during the winning spin. A reel tilt refers to a malfunction when a physical reel fails to display the outcome intended by the machine’s internal random number generator, or RNG.
Such malfunctions void all plays and pays. Beal alleges that the machine was working fine and never displayed an error message or “Reel Tilt” notification until after she hit the jackpot.
Prior to the spin in question, the machine operated normally and did not have any malfunctions, computer glitches, or tilts and had no problem accepting Plaintiff’s money,” Beal’s attorneys wrote in her complaint. “After hitting the jackpot, Plaintiff pushed the service button to get the assistance of Bally’s employees and, for the first time, a ‘REEL TILT’ message appeared at the bottom of the screen.”
Beal and her attorneys allege that Bally’s and the DGE have “failed to supply any information” about the malfunction.
Odds Favor Casino
This certainly isn’t the first time a casino has refused to pay a slot win due to a malfunction. In most lawsuits challenging slot malfunctions, the cases go the casinos’ way.
The New Jersey Casino Control Act requires all slot machines in Atlantic City to display consumer warnings regarding technical errors invalidating plays and pays.
“Each slot machine shall include conspicuous language which states that a malfunction voids all pays,” the state gaming law reads.
One infamous example of a slot malfunction voiding a win occurred in August 2016 at Resorts World New York City. A New York woman playing at the Queens racino thought she won a jackpot worth almost $43 million.
The video lottery terminal, however, which had a maximum payout of $6,500, had malfunctioned. She was instead given a free steak dinner. The video lottery terminal was also from IGT.
Last Comments ( 45 )
I stopped using Bally‘s after I was bitten by bedbugs and one room moved to another room with the floor flooded and I have pics. They sent me a release form setting. I guess I wouldn’t sue them, but I never signed it and sent it back. they offered me a free room, screw you and your free room. Another time the mattress on the bed were sinking this colored like they hadn’t been changed in years , so I’m not surprised that they pull something like this.
Just another example of the World's largest theft by deception industry at it's finest. Its amazing how the casino's make up their rules as they move along in their process of redistributing the wealth of the working class into the cauffers of an elite few SCUMBAGS. It's an industry built on false information. For example, since we're talking slots. They claim RNG software as their saving grace of gaming integrity, correct? Ask any computer software engineer how you program a program to be completely random. They'll look at you as if you just shit yourself or something. Its impossible to program a program to be a random program. Think about that one 4 a second....
Pre determined outcome by a RNG! Has a Random Number Generator ever randomly generated 2 Jackpot payouts in let's say back to back nights? There's absolutely NOTHING random is all predetermined! And the RTP percentages r also BS! And don't get me started about PA online casinos, we're PA literally sells casinos, a license to steal! Do your own research on that .....PAGCB
Most comments on this feed obviously have never played a slot machine. Machines are RNG payouts and like alot of players nowadays won't pay on player abuse. Most likely the machine was tilted showing up as a win, when in actually the player forced the reels to land on non payable lines. No I don't work for any Casinos but I also know that if you abuse the machine it won't like you as well.
You know they're fucking the public on big jackpots. Ballys lie, and IGT swears by it. Imagine that.
Bla Bla typical casino bs. Ballys is sad for not paying right away. I think the Italian outfit still runs this casino. Lucky she didn’t disappear for winning too much money. Pay the lady please.
They probably have all the machines set up like that to say "reel tilt" when there's a large jackpot hit
Hmmm I mean I never won 4$ payout and had the attendant come over and say sir you need to give ballys back their 4 $ as the machine tilted and that made the outcome allow you to win the 4 $.....also go figure it is ballys I made a deposit on line at their casino online and I am still waiting for my deposit to show up never has this ever happen to me before and especially no other online casinos....I am actually closing my account for BALLYS and guys reading this article I mean you make sure you close your accounts also PLEASE AS U SEE ....they cheat and lie and way better casinos out there
Machines fail and say ‘malfunction’ all the time. People who are saying they only show that on jackpots are idiots and don’t spend a considerable amount of time at machines.
This is why I only play card games and roulette. I feel these are the only games where I can play without any bullspit.
They can well afford it, pay the player.
We can tell the casinos are losing money because this is a small jackpot. Casinos take the money Casinos after a jackpot win, bring it to court.
I wouldn't step inside Ballys ever again, not that all casinos wouldn't do that, because we know they would. Very stupid of them hope alot of people boycott them too. Let's make them lose $10, million
Isn’t it strange how they only malfunction on jackpots?
Yes, they never seem to malfunction on losing spins. Still waiting to write that story where a slot player spins and loses and the casino shows up and says, "Here's your bet back, the machine malfunctioned."
Pay the player you welchers