Casino drops 'jackpot malfunction' case
20th February, 2008
An Australian casino has dropped its legal challenge against a gambler who won AUD$22,000 (£10,400) on one of its machines, ending 18 months of legal wrangling.
The SkyCity casino gambling facility in Adelaide had been at loggerheads with factory worker Jens Peter Dragon following his spot of luck on the house's Sega Royal Ascot horse racing machine in 2006.
It had accused Mr Dragon of taking advantage of a machine malfunction to surreptitiously drum up the jackpot winnings - a charge which, if upheld, would have carried a maximum prison sentence of ten years under Aussie law.
"They tried to put me in jail for winning something," a fuming Mr Dragon told the Advertiser newspaper. "It seemed as if Lady Luck embraced me for a two-day affair, but she turned out to be a harlot who'd been around the block a few times."
The 44-year-old is now in the red after spending all his winnings plus an additional loan on lawyer's fees. He has been awarded just AUD$2,000 in costs and is said to be considering retaliatory legal action.
SkyCity has to date tendered no evidence supporting its accusation.
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