If you ask Jacqueline Davis, she’s likely to tell you she joined the ranks of millionaires in June 2021. But according to BetMGM, the Detroit woman’s claim to $3.2 million in online winnings resulted from a glitch in the game.
Looks like the Michigan Supreme Court will try and sort it all out.
Up to this point, Davis has struck out in her attempts to cash-in on the Luck o’ the Roulette slot she played five days in a row three years ago.
A Wayne County Circuit Court ruled Davis could not bring a lawsuit because the Michigan 2019 Lawful Internet Gaming Act took precedence, according to Law360. In September 2023, a Michigan Court of Appeals upheld the ruling.
So, it’s something of a surprise, the Supreme Court stepped up.
Davis contended she had no avenue to challenge BetMGM under state laws. Did the board lack authority to resolve disputes between players and operators?
“The focus of the current process is on whether the casino violated a rule that would impact its license, not on providing a remedy to patrons,” Davis said in her petition, according to Law360.
According to a 57-page complaint, Davis played the same game for five days straight. As her winnings grew, She bet the max of $5,000 a spin—and piled up $3.2 million.
When she went to MGM Grand Detroit to collect, she withdrew $100,000 in cash, leading the casino to freeze the rest. A month later BetMGM’s Jeremy N. Kolman told Davis a game malfunction resulted in winning all that money.
“Certain win amounts multiplied when transferred from the onscreen balance to the patron’s wallet. This resulted in an inaccurate and inflated amount being awarded to Ms. Davis’s wallet despite Ms. Davis not actually winning that amount in the game,” he said in the original complaint from 2021.
Davis says BetMGM left her in the dark. The Michigan Supreme Court seems to think she may have a valid point to argue.
New Jersey is home to a similar situation in which Roney Beal plans to sue Bally’s Atlantic City after the casino refused to pay $2.55 million she says she won on a Wheel of Fortune game.
