California man sues over disputed slot jackpot

Sengel, 38, Belmont, Calif., said he'll appeal his case to the state's highest court after a district court judge rejected his argument that he deserves a $1.8 million jackpot.

He claims he should have won the money when the jackpot symbols lined up on a QuarterMania machine at Reno's Silver Legacy Resort Casino in September 1996.

"God knows I won the jackpot, (but) for some reason, we haven't gotten it," Sengel said.

The Nevada Gaming Council ruled earlier that the jackpot symbols had lined up unevenly. It found that a malfunction occurred and that if the machine had not tilted, Sengel would not have won.

Washoe District Court Judge Peter Breen upheld that ruling.

Any judgment in court would have to be paid by International Game Technology, the Reno-based maker of the slot machine. The company maintains that the symbols lined up unevenly following a malfunction that suddenly stopped the reels.

A computer inside the machine determines the jackpots, not what players see through the glass.

But John White, a Reno attorney for Sengel, said that amounts to a secret condition of a contract with the patron who is playing the slot machine.

"Our first argument will be that you cannot ... add secret conditions to the contract," White told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Sengel said he hopes his case sets an example for other gamblers.

Dan Reaser, a Reno attorney representing IGT and the Silver Legacy, said he is confident they will prevail based on earlier court rulings and findings by the control board.

"We don't have any reason to believe (the court) will not agree with the decision of Judge Breen and of the control board and of the hearings officer and of the field agent," he said.

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