Online Casino Slot Game Was Rigged By ‘Glitch’
An online slot game on DraftKings was impossible to win.
According to CT Insider, over the span of a week in August 2023, over 500 gamblers in Connecticut played the same online slot game, Deal or No Deal Banker’s Bonanza, spinning more than 20,000 times without producing a single win, according to records CT Insider obtained from the state’s Department of Consumer Protection’s Gaming Division.
A so-called “glitch” in the DraftKings game “rendered it incapable of generating a win, despite advertising average payouts of nearly 95 cents on the dollar,” the report said.
It’s impossible to win at slot machines in the long run, but they are designed to slowly take your money—not suck you dry as fast as possible. According to a recent study from UC San Diego, nearly no online gamblers had won money over a five-year period that was analyzed.
DraftKings eventually became aware of the situation and quietly returned more than $23,000 lost on the game to players. Gamblers weren’t given a reason for the returned funds.
According to the report, DraftKings also didn’t notify state regulators about the situation. Only after the state asked DraftKings about the situation did the gambling company admit a problem.
The so-called “glitch” resulted in a $19,000 fine for DraftKings and a $3,500 fine for White Hat Gaming, the developer of the slot game.
The Boston-based DraftKings claimed that the “glitch” was limited to Connecticut. It’s unclear if players in other states that sanction online casino gambling experienced similar issues.
“State gaming officials criticized DraftKings’ response to players who attempted to draw attention to the malfunctioning game, saying that employees of the company did not appear to take their concerns seriously,” CT Insider reported.
One DraftKings player recorded a video of the slot game and sent it to DraftKings.
The player said that the online gambling company locked him out of his account and referred him to gambling addiction services. There was no indication that the player had a gambling problem, per the CT Insider report.
Another player had their complaints dismissed by a DraftKings customer service representative, who wrote back in email: “I understand it can be frustrating to have a bit of a cold streak, but I can assure you that there is nothing wrong with the game itself.”
The customer service response was dated three days after DraftKings had asked the developer to look into complaints about a lack of payouts and two days before the game was temporarily pulled from the platform.
It’s important to note that DraftKings didn’t return money lost during gambling sessions that involved playing the slot game with the so-called “glitch.” Chasing losses is a common behavior among online gamblers, so a player who continuously lost due to the “glitch” might have gambled increasingly recklessly on other games, compounding the money lost.
Image via Pixabay.