ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — When people gamble, things sometimes go wrong.
Roulette balls glance off the wheel onto the table. Slot machines jam, and online betting apps freeze.
The recent decision by online gambling company FanDuel to pay an $82,000 prize its computers wrongly promised a New Jersey bettor on a football game was the exception to the time-honored rule in the gambling industry: When things go wrong, it almost always voids the bet.
That doesn't make it any easier for gamblers whose winnings bets are annulled.
John Bitante of Neptune, New Jersey lost a $180 roulette payout when his online app wiped his bet off the screen, just before his number hit.
Gambling executives note that the industry is becoming more dependent on technology, and acknowledge that glitches will happen.
