Sydney: Computer error costs casino almost 2 million euros

A software glitch at the renowned The Star Casino in Sydney has caused millions in damages in just a few days. A high double-digit number of guests took advantage of the system error and had their winnings paid out illegally. The casino is now taking action against the players affected. But how was it possible to defraud the casino of a seven-figure sum?

Over a year ago, we at GambleJoe reported that Australia has a massive gambling problem. In no other country in the world do people statistically lose as much money gambling as Down Under. However, at least over a period of 13 days, the statistics of 43 casino guests were much more positive. Specifically, these guests inadvertently received the equivalent of 1.9 million euros in winnings too much. The serious software error at The Star Casino has of course since been rectified. The casino management is now doing everything it can to recover the money that was paid out unlawfully. The police have also been called in.

How were 43 guests able to cause 1.9 million euros worth of damage in 13 days?

Specifically, the so-called Tico machines were affected by the serious software glitch. Here, guests scan up to two receipts at the same time, which they have received at the slot machines, for example, and are then paid out their corresponding winnings. Due to a software error, one of the two scanned receipts could be issued and redeemed again. However, the guests also received their full winnings. In practice, it was therefore possible to redeem a winning receipt more than once.

According to The Star Casino, this resulted in losses totalling the equivalent of 1.9 million euros within just 13 days. A total of 43 guests benefited from the software glitch, meaning that on average each dishonest guest made an unlawful profit of just under 45,000 euros. It remains unclear why the casino took so long to realise the serious glitch and take appropriate action.

Casino reports dishonest guests to the police

As soon as the incident became known, the Australian casino had the guests in question identified and reported them to the police. In the meantime, at least one person who was already known for numerous fraud offences has been arrested by the investigating authorities. A woman with a gambling addiction is also said to have been among the unlawful winners.

We reported on another incident at the same casino back in summer 2021. At that time, a casino dealer defrauded his employer and was sentenced to prison.

Conclusion

It is impressive that a serious computer error in a state-of-the-art casino went undetected for several weeks, resulting in a loss of around two million euros. It will be interesting to see whether those responsible at the casino will succeed in recovering at least some of the unlawfully distributed winnings.

Image source: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/sydney-hafen-australien-nacht-225571/