Odd News

Slot machine multiplies deposit by 10

(AP)
Updated: 2006-08-04 19:43

BRIDGEPORT, Ind. - Gamblers raked in nearly half a million dollars over two days on a slot machine that multiplied by 10 the amount of money that players put in, a newspaper reported.

Caesars Indiana lost US$487,000 before a player notified officials of the problem with the machine, The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky., reported Friday.

Kathryn Ford of Louisville, Ky., realized something was wrong July 23 when she and her husband sat down at two of the machines, called Extra Money.

When she put in a US$20 bill, the machine registered it as US$200. She tried another US$20 bill and the same thing happened, she said.

Ford said she put eight US$20 bills in the machine and received vouchers that could be redeemed for US$1,600 in cash - without even playing.

Other gamblers noticed.

"There was even a young woman who jumped in while I was sitting there. She ... reached across me, popped a hundred in, popped out a thousand and then she took off," Ford said.

Ford and her husband reported the problem to a security officer and casino officials determined the machine had a switch set for use in the Philippines instead of the US instructing it to multiply credits by 10.