Incident: Jackpot Denied: Casino Refuses £37m Win Due to Software Error

Published Date: 2011-12-11

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident happened on March 26 of the same year as the article was published [Article 54469].
System 1. Fruit machine software at the casino in Bregenz, Austria [54469]
Responsible Organization 1. The casino operators at Bregenz, Austria were responsible for causing the software failure incident by attributing the jackpot win to a 'software error' and offering a significantly lower payout than the displayed amount [54469].
Impacted Organization 1. The gambler, Behar Merlaku, who thought he had won £37 million on a fruit machine but was offered £60 and a free meal instead due to the casino attributing the win to a 'software error' [Article 54469].
Software Causes 1. The software failure incident was attributed to a 'software error' by casino bosses, leading to the refusal to pay out the £37 million jackpot to the player [54469].
Non-software Causes 1. The casino operators blamed a glitch in the machine for the jackpot error, indicating a potential hardware malfunction or misconfiguration [Article 54469].
Impacts 1. The gambler who thought he had won £37 million on a fruit machine was only offered £60 and a free meal instead of the jackpot due to the software error, leading to a significant financial impact on the player [Article 54469]. 2. The casino faced a potential lawsuit from the player to force the prize payout, indicating a legal and reputational impact on the casino [Article 54469]. 3. The incident caused the player to go from ecstasy to agony, turning what he thought was the greatest moment of his life into the worst, showcasing the emotional impact on the individual [Article 54469].
Preventions 1. Proper testing and quality assurance procedures during the development of the slot machine software could have potentially prevented the software failure incident [54469]. 2. Implementing robust error handling mechanisms within the software to detect and prevent glitches or anomalies that could lead to incorrect jackpot payouts [54469]. 3. Regular software maintenance and updates to address any potential vulnerabilities or bugs that could result in erroneous jackpot notifications [54469].
Fixes 1. The casino could update and fix the software glitch in the fruit machine that caused the erroneous jackpot notification [54469].
References 1. Casino bosses at the establishment in Bregenz, Austria [54469] 2. Lawyers for the plaintiff representing Behar Merlaku [54469]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization, multiple_organization <Article 54469> reports on a software failure incident where a man was denied a £37 million jackpot at a casino in Austria due to a 'software error' on the fruit machine. The incident occurred at a Casinos Austria AG establishment in Bregenz. The casino operators blamed a glitch in the machine for the error and offered the player a free meal and £60 instead of the jackpot. The player, Behar Merlaku, is planning to launch a lawsuit to force the casino to pay out the prize. The casino's response to the incident and the subsequent legal action indicate a software failure within the organization [54469]. The article also mentions that the incident involving the software failure at the casino in Austria is being closely watched by gaming operators worldwide. This suggests that similar incidents or concerns related to software failures may have occurred at other organizations or within the industry [54469].
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident in the article is related to the design phase. The casino bosses attributed the jackpot win to a 'software error' or glitch in the machine's operation. They refused to pay out the jackpot, offering only a free meal and £60 to the player, citing the jackpot amount exceeding the legal limit and blaming the machine for the error. The player, Behar Merlaku, is planning to launch a lawsuit to force the casino to honor the win based on what the machine displayed, indicating a failure introduced during the system development or updates [54469]. (b) The software failure incident is not directly related to the operation phase or misuse of the system. The primary focus of the incident is on the casino's response to the jackpot win, attributing it to a software error and offering a significantly lower payout to the player. There is no indication in the article that the failure was caused by the operation or misuse of the system by the player [54469].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident in the article is attributed to a 'software error' within the system itself. Casino bosses claimed that the jackpot win of £37 million was actually a result of a 'software error' on the fruit machine, leading to the player being offered only £60 and a free meal instead of the jackpot [54469]. The glitch in the machine was blamed by the casino operators when the player tried to claim his prize, indicating an internal system issue that caused the incorrect jackpot notification.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident in the article was attributed to a "software error" or "glitch in the machine" by the casino operators, indicating a failure due to non-human actions [54469]. (b) The casino operators blamed the software glitch in the machine for the jackpot error, and the plaintiff's legal team argued that the machine's display of the win justified the claim, suggesting that the failure was not directly caused by human actions [54469].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) software (a) The software failure incident in the article was attributed to a glitch in the fruit machine's software, as mentioned by the casino operators when the gambler tried to claim his jackpot [54469]. This indicates that the failure originated from a software issue rather than a hardware problem. (b) The casino operators blamed the jackpot win on a 'software error' when the player tried to claim his prize, indicating that the failure was due to contributing factors originating in the software of the fruit machine [54469].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident in this case was non-malicious. The casino bosses attributed the jackpot win to a 'software error' or glitch in the machine, indicating that the failure was not due to malicious intent but rather a technical issue [54469]. The player, Behar Merlaku, believed he was entitled to the jackpot due to what the machine displayed, emphasizing a non-malicious nature of the incident.
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions The intent of the software failure incident in the provided article is related to poor_decisions. The casino bosses attributed the failure to pay out the £37 million jackpot to a 'software error' [54469]. The casino operators immediately blamed a glitch in the machine when the gambler made his claim, indicating that the failure was due to factors introduced by poor decisions or actions related to the software system.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) development_incompetence, accidental (a) The software failure incident in the article was attributed to a 'software error' by casino bosses, leading to the player being denied the £37 million jackpot he thought he had won. The player's lawyers argued that he was entitled to the prize because of what the machine displayed, indicating a failure due to development incompetence or lack of professional competence in ensuring the proper functioning of the slot machine [54469]. (b) The incident was described as a 'glitch in the machine' by the casino operators when the player tried to claim his prize. This suggests that the failure was accidental, as it was not intended for the machine to display the jackpot when it did not meet the required criteria. The casino operators blamed the issue on a technical fault in the software, indicating an accidental failure rather than a deliberate action [54469].
Duration temporary The software failure incident reported in Article 54469 was temporary. The casino bosses attributed the jackpot win to a 'software error' and blamed a glitch in the machine for the incorrect payout to the player. The player, Behar Merlaku, was initially offered a free meal and £60 instead of the £37 million jackpot he believed he had won due to the software error. The incident led to a lawsuit being filed by the player to force the casino to honor the win, indicating that the failure was temporary and caused by specific circumstances related to the software glitch [54469].
Behaviour crash, value, other (a) crash: The software failure incident in the article can be categorized as a crash. The player, Behar Merlaku, experienced a situation where the slot machine displayed a winning jackpot, but the casino refused to pay out the prize, attributing it to a 'software error' [54469]. (b) omission: There is no specific mention of the software failure incident being related to omission in the article. (c) timing: The software failure incident does not align with a timing issue where the system performs its intended functions but at the wrong time. (d) value: The software failure incident can be associated with a value issue as the system displayed the incorrect winning amount to the player, leading to a dispute over the prize payout [54469]. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit characteristics of a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be described as a discrepancy between the displayed outcome on the slot machine and the actual prize offered by the casino, leading to a legal dispute over the correct payout [54469].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence property, unknown (a) unknown (b) unknown (c) unknown (d) People's material goods (the jackpot prize) were impacted due to the software failure incident as the casino refused to pay out the £37 million jackpot won by the gambler, attributing it to a 'software error' [54469]. (e) unknown (f) unknown (g) The consequence of the software failure incident was that the gambler was offered a free meal and £60 instead of the £37 million jackpot he thought he had won due to the casino attributing the win to a 'software error' [54469]. (h) unknown (i) unknown
Domain entertainment The failed system in the reported incident was related to the (k) entertainment industry. The software failure incident occurred at a casino in Bregenz, Austria, where a gambler believed he had won £37 million on a fruit machine but was offered £60 and a free meal instead due to the casino attributing the win to a 'software error' [Article 54469]. The incident involved a slot machine glitch that led to the player being denied the jackpot he thought he had won, highlighting a failure in the entertainment industry's gaming operations.

Sources

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