Katrina Bookman $43million jackpot casino update and lawsuit (Full Details)

A woman identified as Katrina Bookman hit a $43million jackpot on a slot machine but the casino claimed it was a machine error and offered her a steak dinner instead.

What will you do if you were in this position? Continue reading everything about the Katrina Bookman casino update below.

In 2016, Katrina Bookman attracted widespread attention when she appeared to have won $43 million on a “Sphinx Slot Machine” at Resorts World Casino in Queens, New York. If true, this would have been the largest jackpot ever won on a slot machine in American history.

She excitedly took a selfie with the screen because she thought her life had just changed irrevocably. See picture below.

“I can’t even describe the feeling. It’s like my whole body just got numb,” Bookman told CNN affilate WABC.

However, when Bookman arrived to claim her prize, a casino employee informed her she hadn’t actually won anything and only had the option of a free steak dinner and $2.25.

“I said, ‘So what did I win? He said, ‘You didn’t win nothing,’” she told WABC.

According to Bookman’s attorney, she didn’t accept the dinner or the $2.25.

Dan Bank, a spokesman for Resorts World, expressed regret at the time and informed CNN that “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.”

According to the New York State Gaming Commission, Bookman’s machine was broken. Like every other machine in the casino, has a disclaimer that reads, “Malfunctions void all pays and plays.”

Bookman said to WABC, “All I could think about was my family.” Her voice was breaking. She was raised in foster care as a child and raised 4 kids on her own.

Katrina Bookman $43million jackpot lawsuit

Alan Ripka, Bookman’s lawyer, fought the casino to give Bookman the $6,500 maximum payout permitted by the Sphinx slot machine, but to no avail. He later had to file a lawsuit.

“They win, and now the house doesn’t want to pay out. To me that’s unfair,” he said.

“The machine takes the money when you lose. It ought to pay it when you win,” Ripka added.

Ripka also called the casino’s explanations “ridiculous.”

“You can’t claim a machine is broken because you want it to be broken. Does that mean it wasn’t inspected? Does it mean it wasn’t maintained?,” Ripka told CNNMoney. “And if so, does that mean that people that played there before [Bookman] had zero chance of winning?”

In a statement to CNN, Resorts World spokesman Dan Bank said: “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.”

In the end, a settlement was reached outside of court.