“Malfunction voids all pays and plays”: what it means and how to dispute it

The wording, as it appears in Canada

The phrase is printed on machines and posters across North America. In Alberta, the AGLC’s VLT Rules of Play poster (revised March 5, 2019) states it in five words:

“Any malfunction voids all plays and pays.”

The same poster tells players what to do: “If a vlt appears to be malfunctioning, play should be discontinued and the malfunction should be reported to site staff immediately.” It also sets out rules that matter in a dispute. VLT cash-out tickets “must be claimed within thirty (30) days from the date of issue”, and players are encouraged to print their name on the back as proof of ownership. If a single spin wins more than $1,250, or pushes the balance to $1,250 or more, the terminal issues a cash-out ticket for $1,250 and the rest of the balance stays on the terminal.

The clause is short because it does a single job. It makes the game’s internal accounting, not the screen or the lights, the record of what happened. If the two disagree, the player is paid what the system logged, and any wager placed during the fault may be voided as well.

Where it sits in online terms

Online, the same idea appears in longer language, usually under headings such as “Errors”, “Malfunctions” or “Disputes”. OLG’s Player Agreement (effective February 17, 2026) is a public example from a provincial operator. Section 15.1 defines an “Error” to include misstated game rules arising “as a result of an obvious error or omission in inputting the information, or as a result of a computer malfunction”. It then says:

“OLG reserves the right to correct any Error in the manner that it deems appropriate in the circumstances, and OLG’s decision shall be final and binding.”

OLG also says it is not liable for “any loss of winnings that results from a forfeiture thereof by the Player as a result of the Error.” Section 16.3 covers disputes. OLG will not consider a claim made more than 12 months after a draw-based lottery game played online, or more than 30 days after a pay-to-play game. Its records “will be the final authority”, and where the screen and the game servers disagree, “the result and/or information that appears in the Game servers … will prevail”.

Ontario’s regulator adds limits on how an operator may use such a clause. The AGCO’s Registrar’s Standards for internet gaming, section 10, require service interruptions to be dealt with “in a way that does not disadvantage players”. Operators must recover in a timely way, void bets “where appropriate”, keep enough information to restore a game to its state before the failure, and return bets to players where a game cannot be continued after an interruption. A game must also stay unavailable until a failure in its random selection is fixed. In a regulated Ontario game, then, the clause is not a blank cheque. A malfunction can cancel a displayed win, but the player’s stake should be restored to its position before the fault.

For how slot results are generated in the first place, see our guide to online slots.

The McKee case: a $41.8 million screen, an $18.10 payout

The leading court decision on the clause is McKee v. Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc., decided by the Iowa Supreme Court on April 24, 2015. On July 2, 2011, Pauline McKee, then 87, was playing the “Miss Kitty” penny slot at the Isle Casino Hotel in Waterloo, Iowa. A 25-cent spin paid $1.85, but the screen also displayed “Bonus Award—$41797550.16”. The casino paid her $18.10 in total for the session. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission found the bonus display invalid, and both the sign on the machine and the game rules read “MALFUNCTION VOIDS ALL PAYS AND PLAYS”.

McKee sued for breach of contract, estoppel and consumer fraud. The court treated the game rules as the contract between player and casino. Because those rules contained no bonus feature, the displayed bonus was not something the contract promised. All three claims failed, and summary judgment for the casino was affirmed.

Katrina Bookman and Resorts World New York

In late August 2016, Katrina Bookman was playing a Sphinx slot at Resorts World Casino in Queens when the machine displayed a prize of almost $42.9 million. ABC7 reported that staff told her “You didn’t win nothing” and offered her a steak dinner. The New York State Gaming Commission said the machine had malfunctioned. The warning on the machine read “Malfunctions void all pays and plays”, the casino said the Sphinx game’s maximum was $6,500, and Bookman was told she was entitled to $2.25. She retained a lawyer, Alan Ripka.

NY1 quoted the Commission as saying “the display of $42.9M was clearly a display malfunction”, with the machine’s log showing $2.25. The pattern is the same as in McKee. The regulator checks the machine’s records, the records override the screen, and a displayed amount far above the game’s maximum is treated as evidence of a fault rather than of a win.

How disputes are handled in Canada

In Canada, where you take a complaint depends on who runs the game and which authority licensed it.

Provincial venues and VLTs

At a land-based machine, the first step is the one the AGLC poster sets out: stop playing and report the fault to site staff immediately. Staff can then preserve the machine’s records before anything is reset. If the venue’s answer is unsatisfactory, the complaint goes to the provincial regulator. In Alberta that is the AGLC, and our Alberta page covers how gaming is run there.

Regulated online sites in Ontario

The AGCO’s internet gaming complaints page sets out the order. Read the site’s terms, use the operator’s formal complaint process, keep the reference number it gives you, and allow up to 90 days for a decision. If you are still unsatisfied, you can submit a complaint through iAGCO without creating an account, giving the site name, your player ID and the operator’s reference number. The AGCO is explicit about its limits. It does not resolve individual disputes or recover money, and it only assists with sites it regulates. OLG’s own agreement also names the AGCO as its regulator for complaints.

Offshore sites

For a site licensed outside a Canadian province, the only regulator with any say is the licensing authority named on the site. The Kahnawake Gaming Commission, for example, takes complaints at [email protected] through a Dispute Resolution Officer. Its 2022 dispute resolution summary reports 509 complaints, of which 460 were validated. Of those, 367 (80.66%) were dismissed and 88 (19.34%) were upheld. Late payment or non-payment accounted for 232 complaints, and game fairness for 15. A site licensed in Curaçao or elsewhere is handled by that jurisdiction’s regulator, under that regulator’s own rules and deadlines. Our Curaçao licence page explains what that means for players.

What to document if a game misbehaves

1. Stop playing on that machine or game. Further spins can overwrite the state the operator needs to review.
2. Photograph or screen-record the display, including the machine number or game name, the bet size and the balance.
3. Write down the date, the time to the minute, the venue or site, and the names of any staff you spoke to.
4. Report the fault at once, to site staff at a venue or through the operator’s formal complaint channel online, and ask for a reference number.
5. Save the game rules as they read at the time, including the maximum payout, along with the terms sections on errors and disputes.
6. Keep cash-out tickets, deposit records and chat transcripts. Note any deadlines: 30 days for an Alberta VLT ticket, and 30 days under OLG’s agreement for a pay-to-play game dispute.
7. Escalate in order: the operator first, then the provincial regulator or the licensing authority, with the operator’s reference number.

A displayed jackpot that far exceeds a game’s stated maximum is, on the record of both cases above, very unlikely to be paid. If losses or a disputed win are starting to drive your play, our responsible gambling page lists support. In Ontario, ConnexOntario is at 1-866-531-2600.