Man who walked away after winning $230K on slot machine without realising finally tracked down
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: The Firm Public Relations & Marketing/ehrlif/Alamy Stock Photo
A man from the US won $229,000 (£169,000) from a Las Vegas casino but walked away completely unaware he had just become very rich.
On 8 January last year, Robert Taylor from Arizona thought he would test his luck on the slot machines in the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino.
Well, on that January day, Taylor was very lucky indeed as he walked away with mega-money without even realising.
Because of a 'communications error', Taylor was not informed he had bagged the $229,368.52 jackpot.
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According to a statement by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, authorities at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino could not identify Taylor before he left Las Vegas to go home.
They said: "Due to a communications error that occurred, the slot machine experienced a malfunction that prevented Mr. Taylor and casino personnel from realizing that a progressive jackpot had been won.
"By the time an extensive review of the slot machine and the communications technology was completed, confirming the jackpot had been won, Mr Taylor had returned home to Arizona."
As authorities at the casino could not find Taylor, the board’s Enforcement Division spent 'countless hours over two weeks' to try and identify him so he could be given his winnings.
The officers went through several hours of surveillance footage across multiple casino slots around Las Vegas to see if Taylor had been testing his luck elsewhere.
They also studied electronic purchase records and interviewed numerous witnesses at the scene.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board said this 'exhaustive investigation resulted in successfully identifying the patron as Robert Taylor.'
The authority added that Taylor was informed on 28 January 2022 of his new-found riches, which he collected over the following weekend.
James Taylor, Chief of the Board’s Enforcement Division, said: "The Nevada Gaming Control Board is charged with the strict regulation of the gaming industry, the protection of the gaming public, and ensuring that the industry benefits the State of Nevada.
"I commend the agents of the Enforcement Division, particularly Agent Dan Nuqui, for ensuring that the public trust in the gaming industry remains strong by spending countless hours over two weeks to ensure that a patron is awarded winnings owed to him.
"I’d also like to thank the Nevada Transportation Authority for their assistance in confirming the identity of the patron.
"This has been a great example of government working together for the benefit of the public."