TAMPA, FL -- A Daytona Beach man who thought he was $166 million dollars richer after winning a slot machine jackpot at the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa has agreed to a settlement with the casino.
Bill Seebeck had been playing the Bally Ultimate Party Spin slot machine for about a half-hour spending close to $80. The machine's bells began ringing and the numbers flashed the amount he'd won.
"$166,666,666.65. So I was screaming. I was up and around screaming...and I have high blood pressure but it went up really fast," he said.
Seebeck spent an hour deciding how he'd spend the money. Then the bad news came.
Casino workers told him the machine had spun out of control, malfunctioned and he wouldn't be paid any money. The casino has since reached an agreement with Seebeck.
In a statement, the casino says:
"The Seminole Hard Rock Casino has made an offer to William Seebeck, and he has accepted, recognizing that the slot machine he was playing on Sunday malfunctioned, in what can be best described to the layman as a "computer glitch." The maximum payout on the Ultimate Party Spin machine played by Seebeck is $99,000, although his bet of $1.50 at the time of the malfunction could have generated a maximum payout of only $2,500, with the right combination. Determination of a malfunction was made by representatives of the machine’s manufacturer and software provider, according to established gaming industry standards, with confirmation from an independent third-party laboratory analysis. The casino has opted to settle this matter for an undisclosed amount as a good faith gesture, and we look forward to welcoming Mr. Seebeck on future visits."
The Seminole Gaming Commission and officials from Bally, the software maker for the slot machine, are heading to Tampa to investigate the malfunction.
