Alabama Supreme Court rules woman can’t claim $41.8 million jackpot from bingo machine

Ala. court says woman can’t claim $41.8M jackpot

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Supreme Court says a woman who thought she had hit a jackpot worth almost $42 million at the Victoryland electronic bingo center will end up empty handed. The court ruled Friday that an electronic bingo machine that showed Sherry Knowles had won $41.8 million obviously malfunctioned and that she was actually due no more than $2 from the operation in Macon County.

The decision reversed a Macon County court ruling that said Victoryland owed Knowles $10 million.

Knowles had bet $1 on an electronic bingo machine on May 2, 2006 when the machine started adding credits, eventually showing she had won $41.8 million. Victoryland officials said the machine displayed the symbol “snake eyes,” which only pays two credits, or $2.