Denise Ezell, a 65-year-old gambling veteran from Michigan, has thrown down the gauntlet against MGM Grand Detroit, following the casino’s refusal to pay out the whopping $127,000 jackpot she won while playing progressive blackjack. Ezell, a casino regular for over two decades, has taken her fight to the US District Court Eastern District of Michigan, demanding not just her jackpot but also an additional $75,000 in damages.
Jackpot Winner Denied Prize Over Trespassing Claims
On the fateful evening of October 30, 2023, Denise Ezell, accompanied by a friend, decided to test her luck on progressive blackjack. With the flick of a wrist, she placed a side bet before being dealt a powerful hand—a straight flush with the Jack and King of Spades, pitted against the dealer’s Ace and Queen of Spades. The tableau erupted, cheers echoing through the hall as Ezell’s victory was announced, and spirits soared like a flare in the night sky.
But, as in a cruel twist in a high-stakes game, her joy was short-lived. A pit boss approached, requested her ID, and left briefly, only to return with a bombshell—Ezell would not see a dime of her hard-won prize; she was allegedly trespassing. The disbelief writ large on her face mirrored the confusion of one hit by a blindside bluff. How could this be, she wondered, after years of unimpeded visits to MGM Grand?
The crux of this debacle stemmed from an incident in 2015. According to the casino, Ezell had engaged in a heated exchange with her cousin over money at a blackjack table. What she saw as a simple misunderstanding, security interpreted as solicitation and promptly expelled her, citing a 24-48 hour ban, but without official notice. This ambiguity led Ezell to believe the incident was water under the bridge, encouraging her continued patronage of the casino, culminating in the jackpot mishap.
Ezell’s Attorney Slams MGM Grand for Withholding Jackpot
The days that followed saw Ezell embroiled in an unwelcome game of cat and mouse with MGM Grand’s security department. Mixed messages became the order of the day—initial assurances of payment gave way to radio silence and the dreaded sense that the matter had escalated beyond the employee’s reach, rendering Ezell’s jackpot a mere mirage.
Ivan Land, Ezell’s attorney, expressed palpable frustration with the casino’s stance. He criticized MGM Grand for their seeming hypocrisy—happy to take Ezell’s money for nearly a decade, but balking when it was time to pay out a massive win. Pointing to the inconsistency, Land noted that no long-term ban was communicated to Ezell, allowing her unrestricted gambling until she struck it big. It was a classic case of the casino hedging its bets, only to renege when the odds turned.
Legal and emotional stakes ran high. Ezell, a state government employee of Michigan and supporting her daughter through medical school, had banked on the jackpot to ease financial strains. Ezell lamented that the casino’s actions were not just unjust but also emotionally destabilizing, having led her to believe in her triumph only to cruelly dash those hopes later.
MGM Grand Detroit has, so far, maintained a tight-lipped stance, citing that they haven’t received notice of the lawsuit. As the cards fall, the casino’s silence hangs like a brooding cloud over this contentious ordeal.
