Tourist who won $229,000 at Las Vegas slot machine but walked away unaware tracked down by casino

Arizona resident Robert Taylor did not realise he won a fortune from a slot machine

Robert Taylor, a patron at a Las Vegas casino, left because he didn’t know then about the money he had won (Getty Images)

A tourist from Arizona left a jackpot worth more than $229,000 (£169,048) at a Las Vegas casino, unaware that he had become a rich man.

Robert Taylor, on 8 January, walked away from the slot machine he tried his luck on because of a “communications error” that did not show him what he had won.

Authorities at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, however, could not identify Mr Taylor because by the time they confirmed the win, he had already left for Arizona, according to a 4 February statement by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, that regulates the state’s gaming industry.

“By the time an extensive review of the slot machine and the communications technology was completed, confirming the jackpot had been won, Mr Taylor had returned home to Arizona,” it said.

After confirmation that Mr Taylor had indeed won a jackpot, the board’s Enforcement Division spent “countless hours over two weeks” for an “extensive investigation ... to obtain the identity of the patron”, the statement added.

The officers went through several hours of surveillance footage across multiple gaming properties to track Mr Taylor.

Several witnesses at the spot were interviewed, electronic purchase records were studied and rideshare data obtained from the Nevada Transportation Authority was analysed.

“The exhaustive investigation resulted in successfully identifying the patron as Robert Taylor,” it said.

“On January 28, 2022, at approximately 1230 hours, Robert Taylor was officially notified of his $229,368.52 [£169,525] jackpot ,” it added.

Mr Taylor, the statement further said, would collect his new-found riches over the weekend.