Grandmother Beryl Faichuk couldn’t believe her luck when she won £1,000 on a fruit machine at a Black Country bingo hall - but her delight soon turned to despair when it paid out nothing.
Now the Gambling Commission is investigating why the pensioner left empty-handed after registering the money-spinning triumph at the Gala bingo hall in Wolverhampton.
The 63-year-old retired factory worker of Wednesfield told today how she hit the £500 jackpot TWICE on a recently-installed Elvis Vegas machine at the Ashmore Park club.
She said today: “I have been going to the Gala at least once a week since it opened many years ago. I always play the machines before going on to the bingo. I sometimes lose a lot and occasionally win a lot.
“The Elvis Vegas had only been introduced a couple of days earlier and I had never used it before. I had been playing for around three quarters of an hour and had got one jackpot worth £100 when I hit the big one worth £500.
“Everybody started clapping and I felt fantastic but there was no payout.”
The Elvis Vegas costs £1 a time to play. Beryl told how she still had a £3 stake left in the machine.
“I went to fetch the staff and they told me to finish off the rest of my stake money,” she continued. “I pulled the handle twice and on the second go I won another £500. The staff watched me do it - but again there was no payout. I have won fair and square and want them to pay up.”
Beryl said the machine was still in use at the hall.
Gala group communications manager Sarah Mercer would not discuss whether customers were still using the Elvis Vegas. She would only say: “We are currently investigating this matter.”
The Gambling Commission has now been called in to rule on the disputed twin jackpot following the incident on August 30.
By John Scott
8 Comments
Robbing gits. This is well over of order. Gala sould have paid out there and then, it is there machine and should have a resposibility to pay out on wins. I really hope that the gambling commissions sees sense and rules in your favour.
All the best to you
Steve
They should either pay up or lose their Gaming license.
Rip Off not only should they pay up but should compensate you for the misery of it all.
good luck
As long as you have all your witnesses, with signed statements, you should be fine. Good luck.
I don’t play gamining machines so don’t know how they work but hopefully, if you have witnesses, to at least the one jackpot I think this should help you prove your claim. In these days of computerised gaming machines I think that the combinations played are possibly stored somewhere in the machine and once it has been checked by the engineer, this should hopefully also help prove your claim. There should be a sticker on the machine, (at the side or the back usually) giving the contact details for the supplier, if it’s a leased/rented machine, I suggest that you could also contact them and register your complaint.
well i must say this is one elvis that would not have left the building …. not without a copper under each harm ….
Stand your ground darling.
The gaming machine is installed and rented by Gala,you playing the machine by placing money in it is a binding contract…you gamble you win we pay you..Keep on making loud noises and they will pay…
Good luck and when you get that money..ENJOYYYYYYYYYYYY..
They will have a pay log on the terminals inside the hall. Each machine is radio/ wire linked. You have strong case with witnesses don’t let them stone wall you. They have this so they can work out exactley how much money should be in each machine when it comes to the weekley cashing up and coin dump.