Casino blames players for lucky slot machine

updated 1:22 p.m. ET July 19, 2007

ELIZABETH, Ind. - Prosecutors are considering criminal charges against casino gamblers who won big on a slot machine that had been installed with faulty software.

The machine at Caesars Indiana credited gamblers $10 for each dollar they inserted because the software wasn't designed for U.S. currency, state police said. More than two dozen people played the machine before one gambler alerted Caesars employees.

Caesars lost $487,000 on the machine during that time, state police said.

A decision on whether to bring criminal charges could come in a couple of weeks, said John Colin, chief deputy prosecutor for Harrison County. He said "criminal intent" may be involved when people play a machine they know is faulty.

The casino said some of the gamblers returned the money after the casino contacted them.

"This is a bit of an unusual case because you've got to go back and piece together who did what," Colin said. The prosecutor's office declined to say Thursday what criminal charges could be brought.

The incident occurred last July, but he said obtaining casino records took longer than expected.

Kathryn Ford of Louisville, Ky., the gambler who alerted the casino, said going after the other patrons was unfair.

When a slot machine jams and gamblers lose money, they don't get it back, she said.

"It doesn't work in the reverse," Ford said. "They need to forget it and move on."

More from msnbc.com Power struggle threatens Pakistan’s leader  Swine flu booster shots? Good luck with that From Levi to Letterman: Palin's rough year Obama gets mixed reviews on China's blogs Ice addict heads for poles, Everest | Trek posts On Twitter: Breaking news updates | Weird and wild

MORE FROM WEIRD NEWS

Weird news Section Front

Trapped thief drops pants in bungled burglary Drillers seek Scotch lost in Antarctica in 1909 Police: Body parts sold to kebab stand Overdue books returned — 51 years later Urn with veteran’s ashes stolen Venezuela's Chavez: Do sit-ups, eat well Key ingredient in new ‘love dessert’? Viagra Strippers-on-a-truck promotion halted in Vegas Texan drives $1 million car into marshes Did she fake breast cancer to get implants? Weird news Section Front   Add Weird news headlines to your news reader: