Novomatic Ordered to Pay Out 437k Euros to Slots Player

[Zabier]

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Incredible story here. It looks like he was playing it at a venue where the machine wasn't being watched and he gambled nearly 880k euros on Novomatic slots. Novomatic have been forced to pay him compensation for failing to control his gambling and covering the costs of incapacity that came as a result of his gambling addiction on the slots.

Where there's blame, there's a claim!

I think this just highlights the need for slot machines to only be available in casinos and betting shops. Having them in pubs or at gas stations isn't a great idea so can see why law changes are being pushed.

 

[rshkrn]

wow....880,000....the guy must have been glued to that and if he really had that kind of money why not play at a proper casino or just take a trip to vegas or macau.....

 

[rena35]

Such a sad case of addiction. It can ruin your life if you let it.

 

[Zabier]

It is an obscene amount of money. Did Novomatic place the slot machines in certain places to attract problem gamblers or is it being harshly punished? I'm not sure. Hopefully, the slot machines can be removed from unregulated premises to avoid gambling addicts being over-exposed to them. I don't think gambling addiction is something that is dealt with or taken seriously enough by the law.

 

[conker]

Well this judement may change things quite dramatically, with some serious considerations for other developers of slots. As it occurred in Germany, it is unlikely to frighten the US companies too much, but I am sure they will take notice of it.

 

[Casinomeister]

Well this judement may change things quite dramatically, with some serious considerations for other developers of slots. As it occurred in Germany, it is unlikely to frighten the US companies too much, but I am sure they will take notice of it.

Austria is not Germany

 

[conker]

Lol - Touche Bryan, Austria is certainly not in Germany. Apologies for any offense caused

 

[Casinomeister]

Lol - Touche Bryan, Austria is certainly not in Germany. Apologies for any offense caused

No offense from me - but others may differ.

Back on track: I find it irresponsible to place slot machines in gas stations and other non-gaming sites. That goes for Nevada as well. Slot machines belong in casinos - over watched by casino managers and pit bosses. Just my opinion.

 

[jshort]

Wow, I didnt think this kind of reimbursment was possible......Good lawyers! Something tells me that generally it doesnt matter where you put a slot machine. When has a pit boss ever ejected a player for losing too much money?

 

[miso]

It is an obscene amount of money. Did Novomatic place the slot machines in certain places to attract problem gamblers or is it being harshly punished? I'm not sure. Hopefully, the slot machines can be removed from unregulated premises to avoid gambling addicts being over-exposed to them. I don't think gambling addiction is something that is dealt with or taken seriously enough by the law.

Novomatic is the main supplier of slots in middle Europe. In Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria you have these mini casinos on every corner.
It is a certainly over exposing, but to lose that kind of money he had to be sitting there slotting literally 24/7. Don't see this as Novomatic's fault,
he definitely had good lawyers, or this has been a high profile case because of the sum involved and somebody wanted to make a case out of it.

 

[vinylweatherman]

Who the hell loaned him the €800K !!

Novomatic seem to be the operator, not merely the supplier, in the case of these slots. This is probably why the responsibility falls on them for compensation. If Novomatic didn't have to pay out, then the loan companies who lent the player all this money will end up losing out as he will probably have to go bankrupt.

New UK laws removed fruit machines from many locations like this, although not to the extent of having them exclusively in casinos. There used to be a machine in the local fish & chip shop many years ago, but this went even before the most recent tightening of the laws. Such machines were regularly played by children as they couldn't play the ones in the pub next door, and certainly not the ones in a very limited number of casinos.

Non casino machines now have to be located in designated areas, and policed in order to ensure only those over 18 can play. There is a possible shortcoming in that some of these locations only police age, not whether or not someone is gambling well beyond their means.

The exception still remains for low stake machines (10p and £5 jackpot), mainly found at the seaside, holiday parks, and town leisure centres, which children are still permitted to play.

 

[hoff1985]

They used to have slot machines in pubs and bars in Switzerland in the past, my daddy stills remembers those machines. In the end i think it's better to not have them in bars, because ALWAYS there were discussions about safety of those machines? Are they rigged? And in the end also there was no way of security or help for problem gamblers.... So i think those machines should stay in casinos! Just my opinion