After days of unwelcome national media attention, PhiladelphiaPark Casino Saturday night paid the disputed $102,000 that a Feasterville slots player said he had coming to him.
But Stephen Wilkinson, 56, a retired carpenter, said the jackpot was in his hand for “about two minutes.” His wife of 25 years, Nancy, grabbed the check for safekeeping.
“We haven’t decided what we’re going to do with it,” he said.
Wilkinson, a regular but small-time bettor, said that his son Sean, 23, had asked for help in paying off his 2002 Dodge Ram truck but that the family would take its time in deciding what to do with the windfall.
After taxes – taken out in advance by the casino, as required by law – the check was for about $76,500, he said.
Last Monday, Wilkinson was wagering two quarters at a time on a Wheel of Fortune machine when the video monitor flashed a message that he had won the $102,000.
But employees at the Bensalem racetrack casino told him it was a mistake – a malfunction, they said, of the in-house computer system the casino uses for cash prizes and promotions. The slot machine itself was not faulty.
After apologizing, the casino offered Wilkinson two complimentary tickets for the buffet, which he dismissed as a not-funny joke.
INQUIRER: There’s Good PR And Then There’s This
PREVIOUSLY: Tell You What, We’ll Give You Not Just One But TWO Chances To Eat $102,000 Out Of The Buffet