Federal court rejects suit over jackpot

Bill Gang

Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1998 | 10:18 a.m.

The federal court case of a man who claimed he was cheated out of a "Cool Million" slot machine payoff at the Rio hotel-casino appears destined for failure.

A federal magistrate judge on Monday recommended that a federal judge dismiss the case filed by Christopher Salem over the jackpot he hit on Jan. 31, 1996.

The "Cool Million" was to be paid off when three ducks lined up on the wheels.

In Salem's case, there was one duck and two wildcards that doubled whatever was won and he contended he should have won a quadruple jackpot -- nearly $4 million.

The Rio balked at the payoff and called a representative of the Nevada Gaming Control Board who, after a series of interviews, concluded that Salem was entitled only to the secondary jackpot of $5,134.

Salem refused the offered payoff and sued under federal laws alleging civil racketeering, fraud and cheating, but Magistrate Judge Lawrence Leavitt rejected his claim.

He said that Salem had no standing to sue and pointed to the 1991 federal appeals court case of an underage gambler at Caesars Palace that hit a $1 million jackpot but was denied the money.

Leavitt stated in court documents that under Nevada law, an unpaid slot machine jackpot is an unenforceable gaming debt.

The judge ruled that Salem's case is "simply a more cleverly wrapped attempt to do what the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected in (the Caesars Palace) case."