Casino Pays Winnings Despite Malfunction
20 September 2006
HOLLYWOOD -- First, he won a big Seminole casino jackpot. Then Freddy Howard found out he hadn't won. Then came an outside investigation that proved Howard wasn't entitled to anything, the tribe's gaming gurus said.
"On Tuesday, they paid him anyway, giving Howard a check for $259,945.75, although nobody from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino would admit he deserved it. Executives said a computer glitch only made it appear Howard had won a jackpot Aug. 29.
"…'We are making this payment as a gesture of good will, and I am pleased to tell you that Mr. Howard has accepted,' said Allen Huff, chairman of the Seminole Gaming Commission. He did not say why Howard would have refused; the payment was for the full amount of the disputed jackpot.
"Huff said Howard used a Players Club Card, a rewards card for frequent players, that belonged to his father, Felix Howard, and wasn't eligible to win, even if there hadn't been a mistake…"