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Crazy Gambling Stories From January

From Slot Machine Punch To Man Driving Into Casino

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The gambling world can sometimes produce really off-the-wall stories. Every month there are plenty of cases of individuals going to extreme lengths to pay back debts, or of simply bizarre behavior at casino properties around the globe. It can be entertaining and sometimes sad.

January was no exception, as there was plenty that happened in the casino world.

Here’s a look at some of the most colorful and/or noteworthy from the month that was.

Gambler Says He Punched Casino Machine In Frustration

Authorities say a man arrested at a northern Iowa casino told a deputy that he’d punched a gambling machine out of frustration. Court records say Dion King is charged with criminal mischief. The Worth County deputy says in a criminal complaint that he was sent to the Diamond Jo Casino in Northwood and reviewed security video. It showed King punching the machine’s touch screen several times, causing an estimated $2,000 in damage. The complaint says King later admitted getting frustrated and striking the machine.

It’s unclear how much — if any — money King had lost.
South Carolina May Stiff Lottery Winners After Massive Printing Error

Lottery players in South Carolina thinking they won some extra holiday cheer might be left empty-handed thanks to a so-called computer glitch with the scratch-off tickets. According to reports, the South Carolina Education Lottery that a Christmas-themed scratch-off ticket was faulty and could cost the lottery nearly double what it had intended to pay out in prizes. For a couple of hours on Christmas Day, players of the Holiday Cash Add-A-Play game kept winning thanks to the ticket goof. The game required players to line up three trees in a tic-tac-toe grid in order to win $500. It turned out that tickets were printed with all nine spots containing the trees, which means that it was impossible to lose. The game was quickly pulled after lottery officials caught wind.

Macau Casino Dealer Arrested For Stealing $6 Million In Gambling Chips

A dealer in one of Macau’s high-roller rooms was arrested for allegedly stealing about $6.1 million in casino chips (HKD48 million). According to the Macau Daily Times, the city’s Judiciary Police said that they have arrested a 49-year-old dealer in the VIP room at Wynn Macau. Authorities also took the man’s uncle into custody. The dealer allegedly told a co-worker to turn a blind eye to the high-stakes heist. Police said that while he was working he took all of the chips off his gaming table and fled the casino on a motorcycle. Police later recovered the vehicle, along with his discarded employee uniform.

Bad-Beat Winner Says Seeing Meteor On Way To Casino ‘Precursor To Luck’

A record $1 million bad-beat poker jackpot was hit in Detroit last week, and one of the players involved in the improbable hand says a rock from outer space might have been “a precursor to my luck that night.” Wwmt.com reported that Kenny Tallent of nearby Battle Creek, Mich. was driving to Detroit’s MotorCity casino to play some poker and vie for the casino’s bad-beat jackpot that stood at more than $1 million, when he saw a massive green-tinted light come down from the sky.

Officers Accused Of Trying ‘To Out’ Undercover Investigator In Underground Poker Game

A far-reaching and years-long investigation into illegal gambling in Wichita, Kansas, including underground high-stakes poker games, has ensnared two local police officers. The United States Attorney’s office for the District of Kansas said in a news release that two Wichita cops and an organizer of an illegal poker game “tried to out” an undercover law enforcement officer who was investigating the illegal gambling ring. The investigator was with the Wichita Police Department’s undercover narcotics section. The feds said Bruce Mackey and Michael Zajkowski, who were both Wichita police officers at the time, helped poker organizer Brock Wedman try to determine if the operation was under investigation. The three men are charged with obstructing a criminal investigation.

World Series Of Poker Bracelet Winner Sued Over Alleged Legal Debts

Denver-based WSOP bracelet winner Francois Safieddine is facing a lawsuit over legal fees that a law firm says he owes them. According to a report from businessden.com, Safieddine, winner of a 2007 World Series of Poker $2,500 no-limit hold’em event for $521,785, allegedly owes $238,000 to local law group Campbell Killin Brittan & Ray LLC for separate lawsuits related to his food and beverage business, ViewHouse Corp. The suit against Safieddine was filed late in Denver County District Court. The law firm claims that Safieddine told them he wasn’t going to pay the bill. ViewHouse told BusinessDen in a statement that it’s “working diligently to come to a resolution.”

Man Drives Car Through Casino Doors, Gets Out And Tries To Start Gambling

A tribal casino in Washington State was home to a bizarre incident. According to a report from KGW.com in Portland, witnesses at the Skagit Casino Resort say that a man drove a small sedan through the doors of the casino and parked it in front of a row of slot machines. He tried to start a gambling session, according to witnesses, before apparently being apprehended by police. He was charged with a DUI. The car was able to fit through the doors without causing damage to the casino, located about an hour north of Seattle. No injuries were reported.