After five years of gambling and misfortune, luck finally seemed to smile on Stéphanie Leblanc. The young woman swears that she won a jackpot of $10,000 by betting on Loto-Québec’s online platform, but the Crown corporation refuses to grant her this amount, pleading that a “computer malfunction” caused her In error.
The Grail coveted by regulars of the game Longhorn Jackpots appeared clearly on the screen: three flashing red bull’s heads, sesame to the only five-figure win, the most important of the game.
Seeing the frozen screen, Stéphanie Leblanc started the camera of her phone to immortalize the moment – and to protect herself against possible technical problems. Seconds after the recording is activated, the game continues without her, spins another medallion on her own, and concludes with a reward of… $800. In less than 30 seconds, his gain had melted away from $9,200.
“The rules are clear: as soon as you spin three identical symbols, the game ends and you win the associated prize,” explains Stéphanie Leblanc, a fan of this online game.
The player contacted Loto-Québec to report the problem. “After several hours lost on the phone with them, she laments, they told me that I hadn’t won in the end. »
The Crown corporation certifies the authenticity of the video provided by Stéphanie Leblanc to the To have to, but maintains that a “technical problem on the supplier’s side” disrupted the game. “Although rare, such an incident can occur”, indicates the company by email, without having precise figures on the occurrence of such defects.
“After verification”, Loto-Québec swears that “the integrity of the game was not compromised” and that “the game was played correctly”. A state-owned company computer that records all of the activities carried out on its online platform confirms this: “the gain associated with [la partie de Stéphanie Leblanc] is indeed $800. »
The latter does not agree with this version. “It’s funny: I’ve been playing this game for five years, and this is the first bug that occurs,” says Mme The White. According to her, chance appears “strangely favorable” to Loto-Québec in her case. “In five years, this is the first time that I have won the jackpot. It’s incredible: it’s right at this moment that an error occurs! »
Not a first
The newspaper Le Nouvelliste reported a similar defect in 2012. A citizen of Shawinigan, Lucie Plamondon, swore to have won $296,000 in lucky leprechaun, an online game. Loto-Québec, however, refused to pay him the amount on the pretext that an error had distorted the system.
“It can go both ways,” says Renaud Dugas, spokesperson for Loto-Québec. When a technical error falsifies the winnings, the system still transfers the expected amount to the player’s account. This is automatic, regardless if the amount is more or less than what appears on the screen. The Crown corporation, however, is not able to say how often an increase in earnings occurs.
Screenshot by Stephanie Leblanc
Stéphanie Leblanc describes the practice as “fraudulent” and intends to exhaust her remedies to obtain justice. Loto-Québec would like to point out, however, that by registering on Espace Jeux, all participants subscribe to the conditions of use — in particular the rules which stipulate that “in the event of a discrepancy between the data transmitted to the participant, either verbally or on a screen […] and the data recorded on this subject on the Company’s computer, the latter prevail”.
The game provider Longhorn Jackpots, AGS Interactive also protects itself from any liability. In the terms of use of its services, the Las Vegas company defends itself from any liability in the event of a defect – and adds that anyone doing business with it waives their right to bring a class action.
The duty asked Option Consommateurs to look into the case of Mme The White. Lawyer Sylvie de Bellefeuille concludes that the player has little recourse against the Loto-Québec regulations.
“It is sure that there is something shocking. But it’s not a misrepresentation, she adds. The very nature of the game imposes a notion of chance. Loto-Québec does not guarantee that by playing a game, you will win $10,000. »
However, she specifies that the regulation invoked by the state corporation is open to criticism. ” Is that right ? That, we can fully discuss, but it is ultimately up to the government to determine. It is he who ultimately makes the regulations, unlike the laws, which are the responsibility of the legislature. »
On the Loto-Québec – Online Games Facebook page, the government corporation assured, on November 7, that “playing on lotoquebec.com, it was playing in good hands”. Several comments contradicted this claim. “Between choosing a hay wire site and a good site, the choice [n’est] not hard to do! “wrote a user visibly exasperated by the repeated bugs she noticed on the platform of the state company.
“The site rarely has bugs, replied the moderator of Loto-Québec. But like everyone else, we’re not perfect! »