A woman alleges that Bally’s Atlantic City is refusing to pay her a $1.2m slot machine jackpot as staff claim that it was the result of a technical error. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Roney Beal was playing a Wheel of Fortune slot machine at Bally’s Casino in Atlantic City in February when she hit it big, but she claims that the casino is refusing to pay her a jackpot worth more than $1.2m.

She began celebrating and pushed the machine’s service button to inform a staff member about the big victory. That’s when security personnel approached her and said that she didn’t actually win the jackpot, claiming that a technical error called “reel tilt” made the win invalid.

they said that her true win was only $350

An attendant at the casino opened the machine in front of her and after pressing some buttons they said that her true win was only $350.

Beal’s attorney claims that the staff member tampered with the machine before others could assess it. He wants access to footage from the casino floor and the machine itself to forensically investigate the matter.

A similar incident occurred a couple of decades ago in New Orleans’ Harrah Casino, with the person taking the developer of the slot machine, IGT, to court over the same type of malfunction. IGT claimed that while the symbols on the screen signified the win, the computer didn’t. It subsequently lost its case and had to pay out the $1.3m.