Here's a Bad-Beat Story For Ya!

An unidentifed man walks into the Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie, Pennsylvania, and hits a quarter slot jackpot for $2,000. Not a bad day's pay, right? Just what he was probably thinking until the casino notified him that he would be paid but wouldn't be allowed to keep the money...What the heck???

Turns out the man was victimized by his volition. Some states, including Pennsylvania, where this incident took place, allow people to ban themselves from casinos. Yes, you heard me right...I mean, you "read" me right...he banned himself from the casino. This law allows people who have gambling problems to protect themselves from entering casinos and losing their houses, life-savings and possibly familes. The man who won this slot jackpot had chosen to ban himself from Pennsylvania's casinos several months ago...and then either forgot about it or decided it didn't really matter.

But for the state of Pennsylvania it did. The man was forced to forfeit the two grand...and to boot, he was cited for criminal trespassing!

My take: In spite of this man's bad-beat story, the law allowing people to ban themselves from casinos is fundamentally good. It will do a lot more good than harm in the long-run, and even if that man had been allowed to keep the two grand, he would not doubt have ended up losing it back...and probably a lot more.