IGT And Big Casinos Accused of Rigging Wheel of Fortune Slots

Four slot machine players recently filed a class-action lawsuit in a federal court in Nevada accusing the ever-so-popular Wheel of Fortune slot machines of misleading casino players by rigging the bonus wheel in the game.

“Defrauding” Customers

The lawsuit was filed on November 21^st by four players from different states and it targets slot provider IGT and several big casinos – MGM Resorts International, Bally’s Corporation and Penn Entertainment.

According to the complaint, IGT has abused the popularity of the game show’s branding to create a false perception of fairness in Wheel of Fortune’s built-in bonus wheel. It provides players with a false perception that they have a fair chance of winning top prizes in a special bonus wheel in the game.

However, the class-action lawsuit allege that the wheel is controlled by an internal program that is programmed to stop more frequently on lower-value segments. Through this, casinos have illegally drained billions of dollars from players’ pockets.

For this reason, the lawsuit seeks compensatory damages for themselves and possibly for all players who have played these slots.

Legal Hurdles

This lawsuit is brought under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act and State Common Law, which covers fraud and deceptive practices. The complaint links the game’s setup with a “rigged roulette wheel”, as it allegedly tampers with probabilities to favor the house.

However, there are some legal problems that instantly came ashore. Modern online slots like Wheel of Fortune use Random Number Generators to determine outcomes.

So, each prize and bonus feature in games has specific odds assigned, which are not equal. For example, if a wheel has 24 segments, the chances of winning top prizes are much higher than 1 in 24, as they are carefully calibrated to comply with the game’s return to player percentage.

More importantly, slots in Nevada go through rigorous testing by state regulators to ensure compliance with local laws. Over the past few years, The Nevada Gaming Commission has approved the Wheel of Fortune’s mechanics, so the lawsuit faces big legal hurdles.