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Wheel of Fortune machines set for low wins, woman claims
By Becky Yerak / The Detroit News
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DETROIT -- A Macomb County woman has filed a $10 million class-action lawsuit against Detroit casinos over their use of Wheel of Fortune slot machines, claiming that the spinning wheel that appears to come to rest so randomly on the venerable TV show can be rigged on the namesake slot to give lower payouts.
In a suit filed last month in Wayne County Circuit Court, Mary Kraft alleged fraud and the violation of Michigan's consumer protection act.
The way the slot works, when a "Spin" symbol appears on the payline, the player -- in a sort of "bonus round" -- gets to press a button activating a wheel consisting of 22 pie-shaped spaces. Each shape has a value ranging from 20 to 1,000 coins.
Kraft, including patent documents as exhibits, argues that the wheel "is rigged by an internal computer to stop more on spaces" awarding fewer coins and complains the casinos don't disclose that.
One casino defended the slot.
"Regulators in casino states nationwide have certified it as a completely fair and honest game," Greektown Casino spokesman Roger Martin said.
MGM Grand Detroit Casino and MotorCity Casino declined comment.
To some, the suit calls to mind Las Vegas developer Steve Wynn's truism that "if you want to make money in a casino, own one."
Informed of the suit, Las Vegas Adviser Publisher Anthony Curtis said some gamblers underestimate slots' complexity.
"The technology allows slots to look like one thing but be programmed to do another," said the Dearborn native, whose advertising-free newsletter seeks to help gamblers "get more out of Las Vegas than Las Vegas got out of them."
"Should casinos be required to post paybacks and explain these things to people? I doubt it," Curtis said.
"Most people, when they walk into casinos, know the games are engineered in the casinos' favor. Come on, this is crazy," he said of the suit.
Likewise, Detroiter Elizabeth Hunter, 39, didn't exactly gasp when told of the suit involving one of her favorite slots. "You get 30, 40 or 50 (coins). That's it," said the private-school teacher, who, before taking in a Cheap Trick concert at MGM Thursday night, wagered $20 on slots. "It doesn't bother me, but I do think it's fixed. I've only seen one person hit 100."
Nearly 12,000 Wheel of Fortune and 1,600 I Dream of Jeannie slots -- which have a similar wheel feature -- whirl in North America.
More than 100 such machines are in Detroit, said the suit, filed by Wasinger Kickham & Hanley of Royal Oak and Mantese Miller & Shea of Troy. Wasinger also has filed class-action suits against Blockbuster Video and Lason Inc. of Troy.
By Becky Yerak / The Detroit News
Comment on this story
Send this story to a friend
Get Home Delivery
DETROIT -- A Macomb County woman has filed a $10 million class-action lawsuit against Detroit casinos over their use of Wheel of Fortune slot machines, claiming that the spinning wheel that appears to come to rest so randomly on the venerable TV show can be rigged on the namesake slot to give lower payouts.
In a suit filed last month in Wayne County Circuit Court, Mary Kraft alleged fraud and the violation of Michigan's consumer protection act.
The way the slot works, when a "Spin" symbol appears on the payline, the player -- in a sort of "bonus round" -- gets to press a button activating a wheel consisting of 22 pie-shaped spaces. Each shape has a value ranging from 20 to 1,000 coins.
Kraft, including patent documents as exhibits, argues that the wheel "is rigged by an internal computer to stop more on spaces" awarding fewer coins and complains the casinos don't disclose that.
One casino defended the slot.
"Regulators in casino states nationwide have certified it as a completely fair and honest game," Greektown Casino spokesman Roger Martin said.
MGM Grand Detroit Casino and MotorCity Casino declined comment.
To some, the suit calls to mind Las Vegas developer Steve Wynn's truism that "if you want to make money in a casino, own one."
Informed of the suit, Las Vegas Adviser Publisher Anthony Curtis said some gamblers underestimate slots' complexity.
"The technology allows slots to look like one thing but be programmed to do another," said the Dearborn native, whose advertising-free newsletter seeks to help gamblers "get more out of Las Vegas than Las Vegas got out of them."
"Should casinos be required to post paybacks and explain these things to people? I doubt it," Curtis said.
"Most people, when they walk into casinos, know the games are engineered in the casinos' favor. Come on, this is crazy," he said of the suit.
Likewise, Detroiter Elizabeth Hunter, 39, didn't exactly gasp when told of the suit involving one of her favorite slots. "You get 30, 40 or 50 (coins). That's it," said the private-school teacher, who, before taking in a Cheap Trick concert at MGM Thursday night, wagered $20 on slots. "It doesn't bother me, but I do think it's fixed. I've only seen one person hit 100."
Nearly 12,000 Wheel of Fortune and 1,600 I Dream of Jeannie slots -- which have a similar wheel feature -- whirl in North America.
More than 100 such machines are in Detroit, said the suit, filed by Wasinger Kickham & Hanley of Royal Oak and Mantese Miller & Shea of Troy. Wasinger also has filed class-action suits against Blockbuster Video and Lason Inc. of Troy.