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A woman has filed suit claiming she was stiffed out of winnings from an Oregon Tribal casino promotion.
Beverly Mackey won the $1 million dollar grand prize in Tribal casino Chinook Winds’ Swipe, Play & Win promotion game. The former home health care provider, who recently had heart surgery, has been denied the winnings.
"In a moment when I'm not thinking about it, I'll lapse into a little fantasy about how I don't just have to live off Social Security, Disability and a small pension," said Mackey.
So why was she denied?
It turns out, that Swipe, Play & Win is actually owned by Reno-based Odds On Promotions, a wholesale firm that sells contests to radio and TV stations, casinos, sports teams and others.
Chinook Winds paid Odds On a $20,000 fee for the game and for the ability to tout a million dollar prize without actually having to stake the cash. Odds On in turn, staked the prize money, set the odds and bets players won’t win.
When Mackey won, the company refused to pay and said it made a mistake. Odds On claimed a company technician set the grand prize odds too low and that settings were akin to the odds given to small prizes like Frisbees or ChapSticks.
So essentially Ms. Mackey is being denied her winnings due to a glitch the prize organizers public admit to.
"You would assume that they have the competence to program these kinds of promotions because that's what they do,” said casino attorney Craig Dorsay.
And here is where things get really interesting. The Chinook Winds has actually filed a joint negligence and breach of contract lawsuit together along with Mackey.
"We think we have a pretty damn good case, and we hope they see reason," Dorsay said.
Chinook Winds has paid Mackey $50,000 in what it deemed a “good faith” measure.
That amount represents the first year of annuity on her prize.
Eric Smileuske, marketing director at Chinook Winds said he's been spreading the bad word about Odds On Promotions.
"We've gone out of our way to tell people this is not a company we'll do business with," Smileuske said. "If this is the way they do business, we're not interested."
“I think they're wrong,” Mackey said. “They're absolutely dead wrong and I think they need to live up to their contract with the casino. I think they need to live up to their promise to me."
The lawsuit could go on for six months. A victory would result in $50,000 being paid annually for 20 years.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
