Oklahoma Slot Machine Payouts
Michigan lawyer and YouTuber Letho’s Law sheds light on Oklahoma casino’s decision not to pay $8,469,498.95 USD to slot machine jackpot winner.
Unlike their ancestors, modern slot machines are not purely random. Regardless of whether they display the results on a screen or through physical reels, all modern slots are fully computerized, networked, and algorithm-controlled. As a side effect of this, the payout percentages and jackpot payouts can easily be adjusted by the casino. Playing to Win Play the maximum number of coins. Many machines require that a player gamble. You could be playing The Big Lebowski slots at Choctaw Casino in Durant, Oklahoma, and your buddy could be playing the identical machine right next to you. The payback percentage on his machine might be 94%, and the payback percentage on your machine might only be 88%. The difference comes from how the probabilities are weighted for each symbol. BIGGEST RIO DREAMS JACKPOT in YouTube history!!!! While playing Rio Dreams at Wynn Las Vegas we hit a 4 jewel bonus game and a few re-triggers after.#SlotM. Oklahoma slot machine payout laws Governor of poker texas tycoon – governor of poker wiki in january 2012, governor of poker took their game to the next level by going social they dealer level 2 towns governor of poker texas tycoon the governor gop2 as said, one can only enter the game when having a facebook-account, but also typical as in.
Oklahoma Slot Machine Payouts
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably heard Maribel Sanchez’s story. A couple of weeks ago, she won a jackpot worth $8.5 million at a Lucky 7s slot machine, but the casino refused to pay her, saying there had been a hardware malfunction. The story sparked fierce debate both inside and outside the gambling community. Consumer protection advocates cry foul, saying that the woman should be paid her winnings. Lawyers, on the other hand, say the issue is much more complicated and nuanced. So let’s take a look at what really happened in Newcastle Casino and uncover the truth.
Lucky Magic 7’s machine, similar to the one used by Sanchez at Newcastle Casino to get the $8.5 million jackpot.
The Sequence of Events
According to FOX25, Maribel Sanchez entered Newcastle Casino at seven in the morning to try her luck on a Liberty 7s slot machine. She set her wager amount at a dollar and twenty-five cents per spin. After a few rounds, she hit the jackpot and the machine told her she won $8,469,498.95 USD. Excited about her win, Sanchez took a picture of the winning graphic using her phone. In her mind, she was already thinking about how she would spend her money on achieving her life-long dream of buying a house.
That’s where things took a strange turn. Just after she took the picture, the slot machine turned off. A few moments later, Sanchez was approached by members of the casino staff. Instead of paying Sanchez her $8.5 million, the casino gave her back the $14.50 she had spent at the slot machine and bid her farewell.
“They told her we’re not going to pay you. It was an error, ” Sanchez’s lawyer, Bill Zuhdi, explains.
Furious about the injustice of the situation, Sanchez contacted Oklahoma’s FOX 25 news station, which reported on the event through their website and Twitter account. FOX 25 reporters then contacted the venue and the machine’s manufacturer, but neither gave any concrete information on what exactly happened.
Sanchez then went on to contact attorney Bill Zuhdi. On Monday, March 2, the lawyer filed a formal notice of prize claim in order to move the legal case forward.
How Modern Video Slots Work
So what exactly happened there and why doesn’t the casino want to pay up? In order to understand this, you need to understand how slot machines work these days.
Unlike their ancestors, modern slot machines are not purely random. Regardless of whether they display the results on a screen or through physical reels, all modern slots are fully computerized, networked, and algorithm-controlled. As a side effect of this, the payout percentages and jackpot payouts can easily be adjusted by the casino.
Because of this inherent degree of control, the system can be easily abused by unscrupulous casino staff members.
Slot Machine Tampering
In one of his videos, Michigan lawyer Steve Lehto, who runs a popular YouTube channel called Lehto’s Law, recalled a case from a few years ago. During court testimony, the defendant confessed to having used his access to the machines in order to configure them to pay large sums of money at certain times. His accomplices would then play the machines until winning. The money was then split 50/50.
And this situation isn’t in any way unique. Those who follow gambling news closely will have heard of several such cases that happened in the last few years.
In order to fight this type of malicious code meddling, casinos verify all payouts with their information on when wins should have been paid out. If the system sees a big win, but the server says that it wasn’t supposed to happen, they shut down the machine and tell the user there was a machine malfunction.
Basic slot machine diagnostics and repair procedure.
What Does the Law Say About Slot Machine Winnings?
So how are these ‘machine malfunctions’ interpreted by law? If you didn’t do anything wrong and played according to all rules, why wouldn’t you get paid? After all, it’s the casino’s fault, not yours, that such a situation happened. Let’s explore.
As explained by lawyer Steve Lehto in his video on the 8.5 million dollar scandal, in recent years, more and more new gambling laws have been coming into force, and most of them aren’t all that consumer-friendly. Lehto says that, because the people running land-based casinos have a lot of money, they can essentially have the laws written in their favor. Lehto gives the following example:
“If you’re counting cards at a blackjack table in Las Vegas they can come up to you, say you’re cheating, and kick you out” despite the fact that all you are doing is being a good player and “figuring things out”.
So, essentially, if you’re playing offline blackjack and you’re bad, you’re free to lose as much money as you want. But once you get good enough and start to understand such things as basic strategy and card counting, the casino has the right to ban you from their venue.
State and federal laws give casinos similar rights in other games as well.
So where does that leave Sanchez? In an uncomfortable place, that’s for sure. The casino reimbursed her for the $14.50 she spent on the ‘malfunctioned’ machine and pretended nothing wrong had happened. But something did happen. The machine outright told her she won 8.5 million dollars. And, at least according to Sanchez’s lawyer, the casino must honor this offer, because she did nothing wrong and played by the rules.
We’ll keep you updated on this story as it develops. In the meanwhile, if you want to make sure you get paid on every win, you’re probably better off sticking to online slot machines. Unlike land-based video slots, these are operated off-side by the service providers and cannot be tampered with.
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Introduction to Oklahoma Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020
Oklahoma slot machine casino gambling consists of 131 American Indian tribal casinos, casino resorts, travel centers, and “gasinos” along with two pari-mutuel racetracks with slot machines.
No theoretical payout limits have been set for tribal casinos in Oklahoma. In addition, no return statistics are publicly available.
This post continues my weekly State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambler to success. Now in its third year, each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or federal district.
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Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Oklahoma*
The minimum legal gambling age in Oklahoma depends upon the gambling activity:
- Land-Based Casinos: 18
- Poker Rooms: 18
- Bingo: 16
- Lottery: 18
- Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18
In November 2004, Oklahoma residents approved a State-Tribal Gaming Act through a referendum. This vote enacted a model tribal gaming compact allowing tribes to use new gaming machines and card games. Based on this generic model, 31 tribes negotiated state-tribal compacts with the state of Oklahoma.
*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws might apply to various forms of gaming. It is not legal advice.
Slot Machine Private Ownership in Oklahoma
It is legal to own a slot machine privately in the state of Oklahoma if it is 25 years old or older.
Gaming Control Board in Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s state-tribal compacts regulate tribal gaming in Oklahoma. However, the state of Oklahoma provides oversight under these compacts, which is the legal responsibility of Oklahoma’s Gaming Compliance Unit.
Based on the Oklahoma Gaming Compliance Unit Annual Report 2018, Oklahoma’s casinos prefer offering more Class II games due to Class III games requiring up to an extra 6% of revenue to the state.
The state also collects exclusivity fees from Class III machines. In 2015, 57% of all gaming machines in Oklahoma were Class III games.
Casinos in Oklahoma
As of mid-2019, 31 American Indian tribes operated 131 facilities offering Class III gaming through tribal-state gaming compacts with the state of Oklahoma. These locations include two racetracks offering pari-mutuel wagering and slot machines.
The largest casino in Oklahoma is also the largest casino in the world. This WinStar World Casino and Resort has 7,400 gaming machines.
The second-largest casino is Choctaw Casinos & Resorts – Durant with 4,300 gaming machines.
Commercial Casinos in Oklahoma
Oklahoma has no non-tribal, commercial casinos.
Tribal Casinos in Oklahoma
The 106 largest tribal casinos in Oklahoma, including two pari-mutuel racetracks with slot machines, are:
- 7 Clans Casinos – Chilocco Gasino in Newkirk, 106 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- 7 Clans Casinos – First Council Casino Resort in Newkirk, near the border to Kansas.
- 7 Clans Casinos – Paradise Casino in Red Rock, 82 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- 7 Clans Casinos – Perry Casino, 65 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- 7 Clans Casinos – Red Rock Gasino, 82 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- Ada Gaming Center – East, 85 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
- Ada Gaming Center – West, 85 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
- Apache Casino Hotel in Lawton, 86 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
- Artesian Hotel Casino Spa in Sulphur, 84 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Black Gold Casino in Wilson, 112 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Border Casino in Thackerville, 124 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Buffalo Run Casino & Resort in Miami, 89 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Casino Oklahoma in Hinton, 55 miles west of Oklahoma City.
- Cherokee Casino & Hotel – Ft. Gibson, 80 miles east of Tulsa.
- Cherokee Casino & Hotel – Grove, 100 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Cherokee Casino & Hotel – Ramona, 30 miles north of Tulsa.
- Cherokee Casino & Hotel – Roland, 175 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Cherokee Casino & Hotel – Sallisaw, 160 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Cherokee Casino & Hotel – South Coffeyville, 70 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Cherokee Casino & Hotel – Tahlequah, 83 miles southeast of Tulsa.
- Cherokee Casino & Hotel – West Siloam Springs, 85 miles east of Tulsa.
- Cherokee Casino & Hotel – Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, 30 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Chickasaw Travel Stop – Davis West, 75 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Chickasaw Travel Stop – Wilson, 112 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Chisholm Trail Casino in Duncan, 79 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Choctaw Casinos & Resorts – Broken Bow, 235 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
- Choctaw Casinos & Resorts – Durant, 150 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
- Choctaw Casinos & Resorts – Grant, 200 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Choctaw Casinos & Resorts – Idabel, 240 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
- Choctaw Casinos & Resorts – McAlester, 130 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
- Choctaw Casinos & Resorts – Pocola, 195 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Choctaw Casinos & Resorts – Stringtown, 163 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
- Cimarron Casino in Perkins, 60 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- Comanche Nation Casino in Lawton, 86 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
- Comanche Red River Hotel Casino in Devol, 125 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
- Comanche Spur Casino in Eldon, 75 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
- Comanche Star Casino in Walters, 25 miles southeast of Lawton.
- Creek Nation Casino Bristow, 60 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
- Creek Nation Casino Eufaula, 135 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Creek Nation Casino Holdenville, 75 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
- Creek Nation Casino Muscogee, 50 miles southeast of Tulsa.
- Creek Nation Checotah Casino, 120 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Downstream Casino Resort in Quapaw, on the border of Oklahoma with Missouri and Kansas.
- Duck Creek Casino in Beggs, 35 miles south of Tulsa.
- Gold Mountain Casino in Ardmore, 100 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Gold River Casino in Anadarko, 60 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
- Golden Pony Casino in Okemah, 72 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Goldsby Gaming Center in Norman, 21 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Grand Casino Hotel Resort in Shawnee, 38 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Grand Lake Casino in Grove, 80 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa in Catoosa, on the outskirts of Tulsa.
- High Winds Casino in Miami, 89 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Indigo Sky Casino & Resort in Wyandotte, 90 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
- Ioway Casino in Chandler, 40 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
- Kickapoo Casino Harrah, 31 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Kickapoo Casino Shawnee, 38 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Kiowa Casino Carnegie, 94 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
- Kiowa Casino Hotel Red River in Devol, 125 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
- Kiowa Casino Verden, 57 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
- Lucky Star Casino Canton, 60 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.
- Lucky Star Casino Clinton, 85 miles west of Oklahoma City.
- Lucky Star Casino Concho, 35 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.
- Lucky Star Casino Concho Travel Center, 35 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.
- Lucky Star Casino Hammon, 120 miles west of Oklahoma City.
- Lucky Star Casino Watonga, 70 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.
- Lucky Turtle Casino in Wyandotte, 90 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
- Madill Gaming Center in Madill, 122 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Native Lights Casino in Newkirk, 106 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- Newcastle Casino in Newcastle, 19 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Okemah Casino, 72 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- One Fire Casino in Okmulgee, 45 miles south of Tulsa.
- Osage Casino Hotel Bartlesville, 50 miles north of Tulsa.
- Osage Casino Hotel Hominy, 44 miles northwest of Tulsa.
- Osage Casino Hotel Pawhuska, on the outskirts of Tulsa.
- Osage Casino Hotel Ponca City, 50 miles northwest of Tulsa.
- Osage Casino Hotel Sand Springs, on the outskirts of Tulsa.
- Osage Casino Hotel Skiatook, 17 miles north of Tulsa.
- Prairie Moon Casino in Miami, 89 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Prairie Sun Casino in Miami, 89 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Quapaw Casino in Miami, 89 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Remington Park Racing Casino in Oklahoma City.
- River Bend Casino Hotel in Wyandotte, 90 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa.
- Rivermist Casino in Konowa, 75 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
- Riverwind Casino in Norman, 12 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Sac and Fox Nation Casino in Stroud, 60 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
- Saltcreek Casino in Pocasset, 50 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
- Seminole Nation Casinos – Seminole Nation Casino in Konawa, 60 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.
- Seminole Nation Casinos – Trading Post Casino in Wewoka, 60 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Southwind Casino Braman, 106 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- Southwind Casino Kanza in Braman, 106 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- Southwind Casino Newkirk, 106 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- The Stables Casino in Miami, 89 miles northeast of Tulsa.
- Stone Wolf Casino in Pawnee, 106 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- Sugar Creek Casino in Hinton, 55 miles west of Oklahoma City.
- Texoma Casino in Kingston, 130 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- The Black Hawk Casino in Shawnee, 40 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Thunderbird Casino Norman, 21 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Thunderbird Casino Shawnee, 38 miles east of Oklahoma City.
- Tonkawa Gasino, 91 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- Tonkawa Hotel & Casino, 91 miles north of Oklahoma City.
- Trading Post Casino Pawnee, 57 miles northwest of Tulsa.
- Treasure Valley Casino & Hotel in Davis, 75 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- Washita Casino in Paoli, 52 miles south of Oklahoma City.
- WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, 124 miles south of Oklahoma City.
Other Gambling Establishments
As an alternative to enjoying Oklahoma slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Oklahoma is:
- North: Colorado Slots and Kansas Slots
- East: Arkansas Slots and Missouri Slots
- South: Texas Slots
- West: New Mexico Slots
Best Paying Slots In Oklahoma
Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to Oklahoma.
Our Oklahoma Slots Facebook Group
Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Oklahoma? If so, join our new Oklahoma slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to join this closed Facebook Group freely.
There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in Oklahoma. Join us!
Payout Returns in Oklahoma
No theoretical payout limits are legally set by Oklahoma’s state-tribal compacts. Further, no return statistics are publicly available.
Summary of Oklahoma Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020
Oklahoma slot machine casino gambling consists of over a hundred tribal facilities with electronic gaming machines existing as casino resorts, casinos, convenience stores, travel centers, bingo halls, and more.
Gaming regulations come from a generic tribal-state compact, used by 31 tribes in Oklahoma to legalize Class II bingo-style and Class III Las Vegas-style gaming. It does not include theoretical payout limits nor require that tribes make return statistics publicly available.
Annual Progress in Oklahoma Slot Machine Casino Gambling
Over the last year, Bordertown Casino and Arena closed when the Eastern Shawnee Tribe decided to reassess its business plans and close the facility in December 2019. Also, the Texoma Gaming Center in Kingston became the Texoma Casino.
In early 2020, Governor Kevin Stitt of the State of Oklahoma demanded the state’s tribes update their tribal-state compacts. At issue was an attempt to improve the state’s gaming revenue by increasing income from exclusivity payments for monopoly casino rights. Ultimately, Oklahoma’s tribes united against the Governor, resolving the “bitter feud.”
Related Articles from Professor Slots
Other State-By-State Articles from Professor Slots
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Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC