A DraftKings Casino slot game was found to be unwinnable due to a technical malfunction or what is commonly known as a “glitch.”
According to documents reviewed by Gambling Harm, over the span of a week in August 2023, over 500 gamblers in Connecticut played the same online slot, Deal or No Deal Banker’s Bonanza. They collectively logged more than 20,000 spins without producing a single win.
The records came from the Gaming Division of the state’s Department of Consumer Protection.
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.
It’s impossible to win at slot machines in the long run. They are designed to slowly take your money—not suck you dry as fast as possible.
According to a recent UC San Diego gambling study, nearly no online gamblers had won money over a five-year period that was analyzed.
Let’s see what happened with the DraftKings Casino slot glitch.
What Caused the Online Casino Malfunction?
According to documents obtained by Gambling Harm, the root cause of the issue was determined to be a file.
The file, DONDBankersBonus.db, was able to be deployed without a version being selected, thus leaving the file empty.
An investigation determined the reason why gameplay was allowed. The game was designed to check if the file was present and displayed an error if it was not. However, if the file was present but empty, no error was shown.
In short, the file passed inspection because it was not loaded properly and was empty.
Neither DraftKings nor the game developer notified the department of the incident until the state asked for information.
“White Hat Gaming was under the impression that [DraftKings] should notify the DCP if there are any incidents. Review of internal communications with DraftKings, White Hat employee [redacted] advises DraftKings that, “I think it’s OK to keep the game up now, and we’re going to communicate all of the details to the regulator.”
DraftKings Acknowledges Slot Glitch
DraftKings eventually became aware of the situation. The casino quietly returned more than $23,000 lost on the game to players. Gamblers were given no reason for the returned funds.
DraftKings also did not immediately notify state regulators about the situation. DraftKings did not admit a problem until the state inquired about the issue.
The 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 said the glitch was limited to Connecticut.
It’s unclear if players in other online casino states 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.
Gambling Harm obtained a copy of the video.
The gambler said the online gambling company locked him out of his account and referred him to gambling addiction services.
There was no indication that the VIP player had problem gambling.
DraftKings eventually allowed the customer to continue gambling.
Dismissive Responses to Slot Gambler Complaints
Another player had their complaints allegedly dismissed by a DraftKings customer service representative, who wrote back via 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.”
It’s common for individuals with gambling problems to claim that games are rigged.
The customer service response was dated three days after DraftKings had asked the developer to look into complaints about a lack of payouts. It was also two days before the game was temporarily pulled from the platform.
It’s important to note that DraftKings did not refund losses from gambling sessions that included the glitched slot game.
If a user had lost money at the slot game in question and then quickly lost money at blackjack, for example, the blackjack losses were not refunded.
Why is this relevant?
Chasing losses is a common behavior among online gamblers. A player who experienced continuous losses due to the glitch may have escalated their gambling on other games, compounding the money lost.
Related
Michigan Consumers Win Right To Sue Over Casino ‘Glitches’
DraftKings To Refund $3M In CT Consumer Protection Settlement
Half Of Sports Betting Revenue Comes From Problem Gamblers
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