But her joy was short-lived. After checking her ID, staff at the MGM Grand informed Ezell she would not receive a dime of her six-figure pot. They then accused her of trespassing and claimed she had been banned from the casino since an alleged panhandling incident in 2015.
Ezell claims she knew nothing about the ban and has gambled regularly (and with no issues) at MGM for the past eight years. She has accused the casino giant of coming up with a “bull—-” excuse to not pay out her winnings after years of accepting her “hard-earned money” at the tables.
She filed a civil suit against MGM in a U.S. District Court in late June and told the local press: “I just want my damn money.” Here’s what happened.
Casino always wins
As chance would have it, Ezell scored the $127,000 motherlode from her final bet of the night on October 30, 2023. She was playing progressive blackjack, a game where players can place a side bet in the hope that their two cards will combine with the dealer’s in a way that triggers a jackpot.
In her hand, she held the jack and king of spades. The dealer showed the ace and queen of spades, landing Ezell a rare four-card straight flush, which won her the mega payout.
“I just thought when you won, they would pay you,” Ezell said, reflecting on the drama since her win. “When you lose, they take your damn money.”
Her attorney Ivan Land shared a similar sentiment when explaining why the 65-year-old had to sue the casino company. He said they spent three months seeking alternative options for resolution — including going to the state gaming board and reaching out to the casino’s legal team — but to no avail.
Land said Ezell had not been alerted about her ban by email, phone call, letter or text message. The pair also dispute the panhandling allegation at the heart of this saga, with Ezell claiming she was arguing with her cousin about some cash and not soliciting a stranger for money. Land described MGM’s treatment of Ezell as “just not fair.”
“They allowed her to gamble there and spend her hard-earned money for eight years, and then, when she hits the jackpot, they run this crap: 'Hey, you shouldn't be here in the first place?'” Land said. “We know the casinos always win.”
What to do with a windfall
Ezell, who earns a living wage working for the state of Michigan doing administrative work, had big plans for her windfall. She wanted to become debt free and help her daughter, who is finishing up medical school, to pay off her six-figure student loans.
