HARTFORD, Conn. — A glitch caused an online slot machine game to drain the pockets of dozens of people in Connecticut.
Through a Freedom of Information Act request, it was verified that more than 500 Connecticut residents collectively lost nearly $24,000 in a no-win situation caused by a missing input of computer code.
“The goal is to get eight symbols. The most I’ve ever seen is seven,” remarked James, as he played spin after spin on the DraftKings Deal or No Deal Banker’s Bonanza.
James is a DraftKings customer who lives in Connecticut and did not want to be fully identified.
Even Lady Luck couldn’t help James and the hundreds of other Connecticut DraftKings customers who took a chance on the Deal or No Deal Banker’s Bonanza online slot game.
“I was like dude this game is broken,” remarked James.
James started playing the game right after it debuted in August 2023. He recounted how he spun the slot more than 500 times and never won a penny back.
“I get you have bad days and good days and all that stuff, but this is something completely different dude,” said James.
James and other concerned players took action by contacting DraftKings support telling them, “I think this game is broken.”
DraftKings responded back, “We can assure you that… The casino games available on DraftKings have been thoroughly reviewed.”
Then — he says DraftKings restricted his account and gave him a link for people with gambling problems.
“The response from DraftKings to the consumer complaints was not to our satisfaction,” remarked CT Dept of Consumer Protection Spokesperson Kaitlyn Krasselt. “As a result of our investigation, the company was instructed to implement greater internal controls for their products and submit regular reports for new games to DCP.”
The CT Department of Consumer Protection fined DraftKings $19,000 and fined the games developer, White Hat Gaming, $3,500.
A comment request was sent to both DraftKings and White Hat. White Hat didn’t respond while DraftKings said in a statement, “We identified a possible issue within 48 hours of launch and immediately escalated it for investigation. All impacted customers were fully refunded.”
State regulators are reminding residents to play responsibly but with confidence.
“We do have a regulated marketplace in the state of Connecticut for online gaming, and what that means is consumers are protected in situations that occur like this one,” explained Krasselt.
As for James, will this incident change how he chooses to spend his money?
“It probably won’t,” he said. “But I have a lot of deep-rooted opinions about the casinos and how they work that eventually I hope there's an answer to or more regulation or transparency.”
The popularity of online gaming has grown in Connecticut and with it, the size of the state’s gaming division. It’s doubled its staff to 62.
The Department of Consumer Protection said they now consider this matter closed and will not be revoking either company's gaming license.
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Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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