A CASINO has been forced to pay £166,000 to a disabled gambler whose friend operated a slot machine that hit the jackpot.
David Joe, who suffers from motor neurone disease, scooped the prize back in 2019 with a £6 stake but the casino refused to pay out.
The gambler had asked pal Lois Lie to operate the machine for him at The Star casino in Sydney and won the jackpot on the Year of The Tiger machine, along with other prizes.
After the casino refused to payout, Mr Joe embarked on a lengthy legal battle to get his winnings.
He argued in court he had asked The Star if he could have help from a friend in operating the machines and it only became a problem when he won,Gambling News reports.
Judge Robert Montgomery ruled that it was Mr Joe had undertaken the financial risk and Mr Lie was acting under his strict instructions.
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“In the context of their playing machines for several hours, Mr Joe truly significant disability, plainly deprived him of the ability to operate the machines himself for enjoyment,” he said in his ruling.
“Accordingly, failure to pay the winnings to Mr Joe was misconceived and breached the contract of wager between the plaintiff and the defendant.”
The casino had also argued that his friend was banned after being on a self-exclusion list.
But Mr Joe said he was unaware of that and Mr Lois had been given access to the casino for six months by the time of the win.
The judge ordered The Star casino to pay the £166,000 winnings plus £20,000 in interest to Mr Joe plus his legal costs.
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Mr Joe had more luck than Jan Flato, who lost £80,000 on casino slot machine jackpot because he let his pal press the play button for 'luck'.
He was feeding cash into the £40-a-spin Double Top Dollar machine during a night at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Fort Lauderdale.
After a run of winless spins his friend Marina Navarro, asked if she could push the button to change his 'luck'.
Seconds later the machine's $100,000 jackpot span in and Flato assumed he was at last in the money.
However, casino officials reviewed surveillance footage to confirm which one had the Midas touch.
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“The person who pushes a slot machine button or pulls the arm is the person who wins the jackpot,” said Seminole spokesman Gary Bitner.
The story mirrors the plot line of the move What Happens in Vegas starring Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz.
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