Nevada Gaming Control Board rejects $900,000-plus in casino-patron disputes

Wednesday, November 6, 2024 8:12 PM
Photo:  Shutterstock
  • Buck Wargo, CDC Gaming

The Nevada Gaming Control board rejected requests from two patrons to have casinos pay them more than $900,000 in winnings, ruling that the gamblers aren’t entitled to the money.

One case of a disputed $250,000 involved a game of Texas hold ’em at Resorts World Las Vegas with the patron Avraham Orloff. The second case accounted for $678,587 at a slot machine at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno involving Glen Avilla. Neither party attended Wednesday’s Board meeting.

In the case in Reno, Board member George Assad said the machine didn’t tilt and the random number generator was “operating properly” and shouldn’t be paid.

In the Resorts World case, Assad said Orloff argued to the hearing examiner that he should have been paid $500,000 instead of the $250,000 he was given on a table-game win. The payout is an aggregate amount in the game, even though given odds for his bet of $1,000 would have made it $500,000, Assad said.

“I think he misunderstood that when they say total aggregate amount, that’s the total amount you’re going to get paid, regardless of how much you bet,” Assad said. “It’s the same thing in a football parlay card where the total aggregate amount of the payoff is $250,000. That means if three other people happen to do the same 16-team parlay and hit for $250,000, they’re going to split $250,000. They aren’t going to each get paid $250,000.

The aggregate amount means that’s the total that any one, two, three, or more winners can be paid on that particular bet.

Board Chair Kirk Hendrick said the hearing examiner’s record was thorough, with witnesses called to back up the decision.