Slot manufacturer fined by Michigan board

Thursday, Aug. 16, 2001 | 10:52 a.m.

WMS Gaming Inc. of Chicago, the manufacturer of the popular Monopoly slot machine, has been fined $100,000 by the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

In a settlement between the state and the company, WMS agreed to the fine and to pay a $10,000 investigative fee after admitting that software driving several tuypes of machines was defective. The software -- on machines that included Boom, Reel 'em In and Filthy Rich games -- has since been repaired.

According to the agreement, the defective software enabled players to get free replays and credits they didn't earn. Customers were able to manipulate machines for free play by jamming their currency acceptors.

In a separate agreement, WMS said it would give the MGM Grand Detroit casino slot machines worth $1.6 million to compensate the casino for its losses.

"WMS is pleased to have been able to resolve this matter in the state of Michigan and will work with the Michigan Gaming Control Board and its staff to ensure that these types of issues do not occur again," Orrin Edidin, executive vice president and general counsel for WMS, said today.

Edidin said the company is working with regulators in all jurisdictions, including Nevada, to be sure that information on the problem is distributed.

Bobby Siller, a member of the state Gaming Control Board, which regulates casinos and manufacturers in Nevada, said the board has a copy of the Michigan resolution, signed Tuesday and Wednesday, and that board members will review the matter and make a decision at a later date.

"We've been looking at this from the very beginning and have worked with WMS to correct the defects," Siller said today. "It's in our hands and we'll get together to review it."