The main reason most people play slot machines is, of course, in the hope to spin in a huge jackpot win. This is something which Cynthia Obie did when playing at the MGM owned and operated Habor casino in Prince George’s County.
As is standard, whenever a player wins a jackpot they are required to give the casino their Social Security number, and that is then checked against a database to see if they owe any money to the state for any reason, whether that be outstanding fines, unpaid taxes or perhaps child support.
She did not owe the state a penny so the last thing on her mind was that there would be any problems receiving her big payout in cash and on the spot.
However, when entering her Social Security number into the computer the casino employee whose task it was to double check to see if winners did owe the state any money incorrectly inputted the number.
Unfortunately for Cynthia the number entered into the system was that of a local resident who did owe the state a fortune in child support and as such the casino was legally obliged to confiscate the winnings and pay it to the state.
Whilst the error was noticed by Cynthia and pointed out to the casino employees they stated there was nothing that could be done and tried to pacify her with a couple of hundred dollars in free slot play and, it is reported, a couple of free drinks vouchers.
The only way she is likely to get her rightful winnings is if she visits the offices of the Maryland Gaming Commission and presents her identification documents and explains the situation to the Commission employees, as MGM seem unwilling to help her, citing the local state and federal laws as the reason they can’t.
