Casino Crime News Roundup: Oklahoma Slot Ruined Allegedly By Angry Man

Posted on: January 26, 2025, 11:36h. 

Last updated on: January 26, 2025, 11:36h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A man was injured last weekend after he was accused of letting out his frustration on a slot machine that malfunctioned at an Oklahoma gaming property.

George Smith reportedly destroyed the slot at the Grand Casino Hotel & Resort in Shawnee, Okla. As a result, he was banned from the casino for life, according to Oklahoma TV station KWTV.

Smith was supposed to have won some $600K from the slot, but wound up with no payout due to the malfunction, the report added.

Man Was Hospitalized

He was hospitalized after the infuriating incident.

Throwing my body into the machine and all that stuff, I caused a lot of muscle and tissue damage to my kidneys and stuff,” Smith revealed. No word was released on his updated medical condition.

A video of the incident went viral, and witnesses were overheard saying, “Give him his money back,” KWTV reported.

“It got up to like $600,000 and the machine just shut down,” Smith recalled. “Everybody was like ‘Oh that’s messed up.’”

He was told by a casino employee he wasn’t getting a payout.

When asked for comment by KWTV, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, which operates the casino, said in a statement, “We can’t comment on this matter because there is an open criminal investigation into the behavior seen in videos that have been posted online.”

The Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s tribal police were investigating the incident. No charges were filed against Smith as of Sunday.

Tribal police didn’t release a damage estimate to the slot machine.

Man Arrested for Vandalism at Casino

A man was arrested Sunday morning at Bally’s Twin River Lincoln Casino Resort in Rhode Island for allegedly vandalizing a video lottery machine that was on the gaming floor.

Lucas Gomes, 23, of Holliston, Mass., was apprehended at 3:35 a.m., according to the Newport Dispatch, a local news outlet. He was charged with a count of vandalism/malicious damage to property, the report added.

Police didn’t provide a damage estimate.

Rhode Island State Police later released Gomes. His case was turned over to local prosecutors.