28 Sep 2006 headline titled Happy Ending to Seminole Gambling Prize Saga

A payment dispute between a gambling prize winner and a casino drew a lot of media attention. It can finally be reported that the winner has been paid out his gambling winnings in full. But the Seminole Hard Rock gambling casino and owner may not have enjoyed that kind of publicity. Gambler, Freddy Howard was thrilled to win $259,000 by swiping his player’s card through a slot machine at the gambling casino and hitting the jackpot.

In true gambling fashion, Howard’s win was announced with great fanfare and applause. A huge check was handed to the excited winner, who suddenly had great dreams about what to do with so much money. However, this particular gambling win turned sour when the casino, owned by the Seminole Native American tribe, decided to stop the check that Freddy Howard had been handed, claiming that his win was due to a malfunction in the slot machine. Howard’s disappointment soon turned to determination, as he vowed to prove that his gambling win was legitimate.

He consulted a lawyer who entered into negotiations with the casino’s managing body.This particular gambling saga has a happy ending. While the Hard Rock casino still maintains that the machine malfunctioned, they have decided to pay Freddy Howard the money that he was promised. It seems that the casino reckoned that too much bad publicity in the gambling world would cost them more than $250,000 in the long run.