Man didn't realize he won $229,000 at a Vegas slot machine. Then, the investigators came knocking

A man from Arizona visited Treasure Island Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas in January, used the slot machine, and won a $229,368.52 jackpot. But he didn't realise he had won because the slot machine he used malfunctioned. The mistake came to light only after the casino officials reviewed and decided to inform the Nevada Control Board after they failed to identify the man who had won the jackpot.

"By the time an extensive review of the slot machine and the communications technology was completed, confirming the jackpot had been won, Mr. Taylor had returned home to Arizona," the organization said in a statement released last week. The board later launched an extensive investigation with their Enforcement Division to discover Taylor's identity. They went through hours of surveillance camera footage and spoke to witnesses who were present at the Casino at the time. 

They went on to obtain data from the ridesharing company, which ultimately helped lead them to Taylor. James Taylor, chief of the board's Enforcement Division, said the efforts to find the winner following the malfunction were important to the public trust in this industry. "The Nevada Gaming Control Board is charged with the strict regulation of the gaming industry, the protection of the gaming public, and ensuring that the industry benefits the State of Nevada," Taylor said.

"I commend the agents of the Enforcement Division, particularly Agent Dan Nuqui, for ensuring that the public trust in the gaming industry remains strong by spending countless hours over two weeks to ensure that a patron is awarded winnings owed to him," he said.

"I'd also like to thank the Nevada Transportation Authority for their assistance in confirming the identity of the patron," he continued. "This has been a great example of government working together for the benefit of the public," he said. As per the board, Taylor was later notified of his big win around 20 days later. Taylor later told Fox Business that in his 28-year career, he's never heard of a story like this one. 

"I can’t remember a time when we’ve done this before and I just can’t imagine somebody walking away from a machine," he said. "And it wasn’t his fault. The machine truly did have a communication error."

The slot machine typically features interactive random odds for winning a cash prize. A progressive slot machine takes a percentage of each bet placed and adds it to the jackpot total. When a person spins a winning combination on the slot machine, the machine should notify the player and the casino about the win. However, in Mr. Taylor's case, the machine malfunctioned and failed to alert him to a win. While the odds of winning depend on the prize, the chances of winning the jackpot are approximately 1 in about 50 million, via Newsweek