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Michigan lawyer and YouTuber Letho’s Law sheds light on Oklahoma casino’s decision not to pay $8,469,498.95 USD to slot machine jackpot winner.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably heard Maribel Sanchez’s story. A couple of weeks ago, she won a jackpot worth $8.5 million at a Lucky 7s slot machine, but the casino refused to pay her, saying there had been a hardware malfunction. The story sparked fierce debate both inside and outside the gambling community. Consumer protection advocates cry foul, saying that the woman should be paid her winnings. Lawyers, on the other hand, say the issue is much more complicated and nuanced. So let’s take a look at what really happened in Newcastle Casino and uncover the truth.

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The biggest gaming establishment of OK is the Winstar World Casino & Resort of Tackerville. This huge resort features a crazy offer of 7,400 slot machines, bingo and off-track betting terminals as well as a wide varieties of gaming tables including 3-Card Poker, Blackjack, Mini Baccarat, PaiGow Poker or Ultimate Texas Hold’em.

Lucky Magic 7’s machine, similar to the one used by Sanchez at Newcastle Casino to get the $8.5 million jackpot.

The Sequence of Events

According to FOX25, Maribel Sanchez entered Newcastle Casino at seven in the morning to try her luck on a Liberty 7s slot machine. She set her wager amount at a dollar and twenty-five cents per spin. After a few rounds, she hit the jackpot and the machine told her she won $8,469,498.95 USD. Excited about her win, Sanchez took a picture of the winning graphic using her phone. In her mind, she was already thinking about how she would spend her money on achieving her life-long dream of buying a house.

That’s where things took a strange turn. Just after she took the picture, the slot machine turned off. A few moments later, Sanchez was approached by members of the casino staff. Instead of paying Sanchez her $8.5 million, the casino gave her back the $14.50 she had spent at the slot machine and bid her farewell.

“They told her we’re not going to pay you. It was an error, ” Sanchez’s lawyer, Bill Zuhdi, explains.

Furious about the injustice of the situation, Sanchez contacted Oklahoma’s FOX 25 news station, which reported on the event through their website and Twitter account. FOX 25 reporters then contacted the venue and the machine’s manufacturer, but neither gave any concrete information on what exactly happened.

Sanchez then went on to contact attorney Bill Zuhdi. On Monday, March 2, the lawyer filed a formal notice of prize claim in order to move the legal case forward.

How Modern Video Slots Work

So what exactly happened there and why doesn’t the casino want to pay up? In order to understand this, you need to understand how slot machines work these days.

Unlike their ancestors, modern slot machines are not purely random. Regardless of whether they display the results on a screen or through physical reels, all modern slots are fully computerized, networked, and algorithm-controlled. /slot-machine-operating-system.html. As a side effect of this, the payout percentages and jackpot payouts can easily be adjusted by the casino.

Because of this inherent degree of control, the system can be easily abused by unscrupulous casino staff members.

Slot Machine Tampering

In one of his videos, Michigan lawyer Steve Lehto, who runs a popular YouTube channel called Lehto’s Law, recalled a case from a few years ago. During court testimony, the defendant confessed to having used his access to the machines in order to configure them to pay large sums of money at certain times. His accomplices would then play the machines until winning. The money was then split 50/50.

And this situation isn’t in any way unique. Those who follow gambling news closely will have heard of several such cases that happened in the last few years.

In order to fight this type of malicious code meddling, casinos verify all payouts with their information on when wins should have been paid out. If the system sees a big win, but the server says that it wasn’t supposed to happen, they shut down the machine and tell the user there was a machine malfunction.

Basic slot machine diagnostics and repair procedure.

What Does the Law Say About Slot Machine Winnings?

So how are these ‘machine malfunctions’ interpreted by law? If you didn’t do anything wrong and played according to all rules, why wouldn’t you get paid? After all, it’s the casino’s fault, not yours, that such a situation happened. Let’s explore.

As explained by lawyer Steve Lehto in his video on the 8.5 million dollar scandal, in recent years, more and more new gambling laws have been coming into force, and most of them aren’t all that consumer-friendly. Lehto says that, because the people running land-based casinos have a lot of money, they can essentially have the laws written in their favor. Lehto gives the following example:

“If you’re counting cards at a blackjack table in Las Vegas they can come up to you, say you’re cheating, and kick you out” despite the fact that all you are doing is being a good player and “figuring things out”.

So, essentially, if you’re playing offline blackjack and you’re bad, you’re free to lose as much money as you want. But once you get good enough and start to understand such things as basic strategy and card counting, the casino has the right to ban you from their venue.

State and federal laws give casinos similar rights in other games as well.

So where does that leave Sanchez? In an uncomfortable place, that’s for sure. The casino reimbursed her for the $14.50 she spent on the ‘malfunctioned’ machine and pretended nothing wrong had happened. But something did happen. The machine outright told her she won 8.5 million dollars. And, at least according to Sanchez’s lawyer, the casino must honor this offer, because she did nothing wrong and played by the rules.

We’ll keep you updated on this story as it develops. In the meanwhile, if you want to make sure you get paid on every win, you’re probably better off sticking to online slot machines. Unlike land-based video slots, these are operated off-side by the service providers and cannot be tampered with.

If there is a state in the US that can successfully be representative of the betting expansion movement that took off in the last decade or so, this case study is sure to be based on the Oklahoma casinos. There were also some very interesting developments on the stage of online gambling in Oklahoma, as well. The idea of inaugurating the first Oklahoma online casinos has been very close to becoming a reality, and although it was put on pause for a while, it still remains an option just waiting to happen. The situation is similar to other USA gambling states.

Best Online Casino Sites for Oklahoma

Contents

Oklahoma Gambling Laws

The main oddity of Oklahoma gambling laws consists of their tardiness, being one of the last states to regulate any form of wagering. It was only in 1982 that betting on horse races became legit. Ten years later, bingo and raffles became a hit statewide, but still long after the majority of states allowed it.

Despite the slow start, gambling in Oklahoma became a widespread phenomenon after the 2004 bill. Hence, the number of compacts signed between authorities and Native Americans, for the inauguration of Oklahoma casinos, grew alarmingly fast, to a high point of around 100 such establishments.

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The same delay typical for this state’s wagering legislation happened for the instatement of the lottery, which was put in place only in 2004. But nowadays, the focus clearly remains on the numerous gambling casinos in Oklahoma.
The spread of these venues across the state is covering all places, is hard to not find one nearby. This is one of the main reasons that online betting hasn’t become quite popular. The widespread also helps to cover all the business opportunities, including customers from neighbouring states. The casinos in eastern Oklahoma are very popular with Arkansas residents, while the southern ones are also oriented towards the Texan high-rollers. For example, the Choctaw casino slot machines are available in five different locations, trying to cover all bases.

Another peculiarity refers to the legal gambling age in Oklahoma. The official minimum age is situated between 18 and 21 years old, giving each casino the possibility of choice. Some opt for the low limit of 18, this being the Winstar Casino or the Choctaw casino gambling age. Others have a different approach. For example, the Downstream Casino gambling age is of 18 for playing the games, but of over 21 for serving alcoholic drinks.

Oklahoma Online Gambling

The possibility to play in state-regulated online venues is one of the lacks of Oklahoma gambling scene. Of course that the first point to take into account is the convenience for the appearance of more competitors, given the already high number of casinos in Oklahoma. On that matter, 2016 found one of the tribe’s initiatives to launch an online poker site, is supported by the state lawmakers. This online poker site was destined only for off-shore players, though, trying to get extra income from outside the state. The initiative didn’t go through after all, but it’s still in the waiting, and it’s definitely an interesting alternative as far as online options go.
On the other hand, even though Oklahoma online casinos aren’t prospects in the near future, residents can still play online at the off-shore based establishments as Bovada which is legal in Oklahoma. When browsing to the list of online venues that accept US players, perhaps take into account the following aspects:

• The licenses should belong to jurisdictions which allow this sort of activities
• The security measures should be functional and only the updated versions
• They should offer access to the latest online games, with a wide variety, the way RealTime Gaming casinos offers, for example
• The accepted means for depositing and withdrawing money should adhere to the highest security requirements, and even though these actions need more time, safety should always come first
• These online sites have to be found on the list of reviewed venues, by users who see that all of the above are respected

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Offline Gambling in Oklahoma

Land-based Casinos

Besides the impressive number of casinos Oklahoma has to offer, there are other aspects to consider as well. For one, up until 2018 dice and roulette were not allowed anywhere in the state, not even in the numerous tribal establishments. They only had to offer Oklahoma slots and table with card games. Nowadays, Choctaw Casino roulette is available, or Tonkawa Hotel and Casino craps can be played.
Between the almost one hundred establishments available in OK state, there were bound to be some spectacular ones. For instance, Winstar World Casino and Resort is the largest or second largest casino in the world, going neck to neck with the Venetian from Macao. Choctaw Casino near Oklahoma City is the second largest of the state, while the Chickasaw tribe has no less than 21 casinos in its property.

Charitable

The history of gambling in OK really started once the charitable wagering has been legally put in place. Most current resorts have started as bingo halls or raffle locations, before becoming the actual facilities. Some bingo focused places still exist, but they can’t really compete with the giant businesses.

Lottery

In 2004, after a whole bunch of locations has appeared statewide, it might have seemed that the appetite for gambling Oklahoma was diminished. However, after a massive vote on behalf of the population in favor, the state lottery has been created. Now, the multi-state versions are also available across the state.

Future Expectations

It’s hard to find more permissive legislation than the Oklahoma gambling laws. Even though it had a slow start, the gambling market witnessed a never seen before expansion. At the moment, with almost 100 locations, a plan for further development has been recently dismissed.

On the other hand, Oklahoma online gambling remains an option just waiting to get started, with the tribal initiative of creating an online poker site being put to safe-keeping for the moment, although not completely brushed aside.

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Is gambling legal in Oklahoma?

Yes. Gambling in Oklahoma is not only legal but is a few steps short of actually being encouraged. The number of active locations statewide is astounding. Possibly the largest venue of sorts is found here, the Winstar Casino, at the southern border with Texas. Also, Choctaw Casino Oklahoma City, the second largest establishment of the state, is also an impressive resort. Other forms of betting are also allowed: lottery, bingo or raffles.

What is the actual legal gambling age in Oklahoma?

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There seems to be some vagueness about the Oklahoma gambling age, seeing how there isn’t a clear limit set for every casino, but rather each of the venues from the list of Oklahoma casinos has the right to set its own minimum limit. Mostly, it depends on whether or not they serve alcohol or not. Even so, 18 is the gambling age at Winstar Casino in Oklahoma, the same as the Choctaw gambling age, these being the two largest venues in OK state.

Is online gambling in OK allowed?

On this matter, the Oklahoma casino laws offer two options:

• The social casinos which offer demos of their table games, free of charge, in a smart marketing move, thus getting players accustomed with their games. For example, as long as the Winstar Casino gambling age requirement is met, the largest state casino offers an online platform for anyone willing to play.
• The off-shore based sites compensate for the lack of options for online gambling Oklahoma. Simply take great care at the sites to access, the safest way of choosing is to follow the list of approved and recommended sites that we offer.

Do I risk not getting my money out of these off-shore online venues?

The fact that the online counterparts equal the offer of the best casinos in Oklahoma to win real money poses some questions of whether it isn’t too good to be true. Truth is there are scammers out there and not having Oklahoma gambling casinos regulated online is another minus. But, for residents of Oklahoma, online gambling market offers lists of thoroughly verified sites, which comply with the latest safety and security requirements.

Winstar Casino Oklahoma Slot Machines

Additional Sources:

Indian Casino Slot Machine Strategy

https://www.ok.gov/OGC/Frequently_Asked_Questions/
https://www.kxii.com/content/news/Oklahoma-senate-passes-bill-to-expand-gambling-laws-477133933.html