Lost Harrah's

That one-sided process comes as a shock to Nevada's Tom Paolella. He says that, in his state, a player denied a jackpot can take a grievance to U.S. District Court.

"I don't know how you can take away someone's rights to get an independent hearing," Paolella says, "but I guess that it's different with the tribes and their sovereign immunity."

The Ak-Chin gaming agency has agreed to hear Herminia Rodriguez's appeal January 20. The agency's Robert Mulryne says it marks the first scheduled hearing on an alleged machine malfunction since the casino opened.

That the cards may be stacked against Rodriguez is apparent in the location of the agency's office--Harrah's Ak-Chin casino.

She claims the mission to collect her jackpot has taken on larger significance than just the $330,152.13.

"It's the principle," Rodriguez says. "Why did they take my driver's license and Social Security number that night? Why did they give me balloons? Why they make me believe I won? I honestly thought everything was honest down there. But it's not."

Contact Paul Rubin at his online address: prubin@newtimes.com