Treasure Island Las Vegas's slot machine failes to notify tourist of a $230K jackpot win

On January 8, a tourist hit the jackpot on a slot machine at Treasure Island Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, but due to a malfunction, the machine didn’t notify either the man or casino personnel that he was a winner, according to gaming officials.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board said Friday in a press release that it conducted an exhaustive search until they were finally able to identify the winner of the nearly $230,000 prize. The man, eventually identified as Robert Taylor, played on a slot machine at the casino, owned by billionaire Phil Ruffin, but due to a communications error, the slot machine malfunctioned. By the time said error was identified, the casino personnel was unable to identify the man, who had returned home to Arizona.

To identify the winner, gaming officials combed through hours of surveillance videos from several casinos, interviewed witnesses, shifted through electronic purchase records, and even analyzed rideshare data provided by the Nevada Transportation Authority and a rideshare company, according to the release.

PRESS RELEASE: Nevada Gaming Control Board Identifies and Informs Patron of Missed Jackpot. pic.twitter.com/ZiQaNDDVZD

— Nevada Gaming Control Board (@NevadaGCB) February 4, 2022

"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," said James Taylor, chief of the board's enforcement division, in the news release.

"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," Taylor added.

Robert Taylor was already back home when he was notified of his winnings on January  28, according to the release. Gaming officials said that he would return to Vegas last wekend to collect his overdue prize.