NY Post
Hundreds of angry gamblers at Resorts World Casino in Queens have been busting slot machines in fits of frustration — but a regular claims he was falsely accused by security of attacking a one-armed bandit.
Almost 500 people have been arrested for criminal mischief, many for breaking slot machines, since the gambling mecca opened in 2011. But Bronx resident Pren Mrijaj says the casino has gotten into the habit of accusing people of breaking the machines, and then detaining them until they pay up — “larceny by extortion.”
“At least 150 people have been improperly detained by Casino personnel,” Mrijaj alleges in his Bronx Supreme Court lawsuit, which is seeking class-action status.
Bitter bettors bashing slot machines is not unheard of — but seems to be more of an East Coast phenomenon, casino security expert Alan Zajic told The Post, noting the display or “belly” glass on the machines can be vulnerable.
“If a person gets mad, they hit it with their bag or punch it with their fists and break it,” he said.
“I will tell you it tends to happen more often in markets on the Eastern seaboard,” he said, as opposed to Las Vegas.
The Queens District Attorney’s office confirmed 493 arrests for criminal mischief at Resorts World since its 2011 opening.
