He Won $230K on Vegas Slots and Didn't Even Know It
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(Newser)–A tourist who visited Las Vegas last month got lucky not once, but twice after he won a huge jackpot from a slot machine and never even realized it. CNN reports on the Nevada Gaming Control Board's "exhaustive" search for the Arizona man after the slot machine he was playing on Jan. 8 at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino malfunctioned and didn't alert him to his $229,368.52 prize. Per a release from the gaming board, staff at the casino similarly didn't realize the man had hit it big, and by the time the casino discovered what had happened, the patron was long gone.
That's when a search for the mystery man began in earnest, with an "extensive investigation" that involved witness interviews, the review of hours of surveillance footage from multiple properties, the pulling of electronic purchase receipts—even a probe into local ride-share data. Finally, nearly three weeks after he'd obliviously left the Treasure Island, Robert Taylor was informed of his win. James Taylor (we assume no relation), head of the game board's Enforcement Division, praised his team for tracking down the lucky winner and "for ensuring that the public trust in the gaming industry remains strong." (Read more uplifting news stories.)
