The world would literally be your oyster if you won $43 million.
That is exactly what one hopeful player believed — until the casino offered her a steak dinner instead of the jackpot.
In 2017, Katrina Bookman was playing slots at Resorts World Casino in Jamaica, Queens.
She watched the machine display $42,949,672 and thought she had hit the largest slot jackpot in US history.
Bookman snapped a selfie with the machine to mark the moment.
She later said her whole body went “numb” when she saw the figure.
The casino asked her to return the next day to process the payout.
When she asked an employee what she would receive, he told her, “You didn’t win nothing.”
The New York State Gaming Commission investigated and found the machine had malfunctioned.
In reality, Bookman’s ticket printed a payout of only $2.25.
The machine carried a notice stating, “malfunctions void all pays and plays.”
Because of that rule, the commission said it had to award Bookman only the amount shown on the printed ticket.
As a goodwill gesture, the casino offered Bookman a complimentary steak dinner.
That was a small consolation after she thought she had nearly $43 million.
Resorts World spokesperson Dan Bank told CNN:
“Upon being notified of the situation, casino personnel were able to determine that the figure displayed on the penny slot was the result of an obvious malfunction – a fact later confirmed by the New York State Gaming Commission.
“After explaining the circumstances to Ms. Bookman, we offered to pay her the correct amount that was shown on the printed ticket. Machine malfunctions are rare, and we would like to extend our apologies to Ms. Bookman for any inconvenience this may have caused.”
The following year, Bookman’s attorney filed a lawsuit challenging the casino’s position.
Her lawyer described the casino’s claims as “ridiculous.”
“You can’t claim a machine is broken because you want it to be broken,” attorney Ripka told CNN.
He added: “Does that mean it wasn’t inspected? Does it mean it wasn’t maintained? And if so, does that mean that people that played there before [Bookman] had zero chance of winning?”
The dispute did not go to trial. The case settled out of court.
Bookman, who grew up in foster care and raised four children as a single mother, said the first thing on her mind was her family.
She told reporters, “All I could think about was my family.”