Woman Wins & Loses Car in Minutes at Casino

May Sue Over Document Question

Rachel Marom thought she had hit it big when she won a new car at a South Florida casino this week. But just after she won, it was taken away on a technicality and given to someone else.

Marom hit the jackpot at the Mardi Gras Casino on Tuesday night, and with the win, she was set to take home a 2014 Fiat — but for a paperwork technicality.

Marom carries only photocopies of her driver's license and green card with her and leaves the originals safely at home. It's a habit she developed after she was robbed a few years ago, since replacing her license and green card was time-consuming and expensive.

“They said, oh, those are copies,” Marom said the casino told her. “'We don’t accept copies.' I said, ‘What do you mean, you don’t accept copies? This is my name, my address, my date of birth.’”

Marom said she lived nearby and asked to go home to get the hard copies the casino requested. But she said she never got the chance.

“I said, ‘Please, let me go home and bring the originals. You cannot be so cruel. I won a car. You told me I won a car, and now you want to take it away from me?’” Marom told NBC 6. “He didn’t pay attention to me, and he called the next name. The next name was a lady, and they came and gave her the car.”

The general manager of the Mardi Gras Casino said a valid ID was needed at the time of the giveaway to win the car, and a photocopy does not count. The GM told NBC 6 he sympathized with Marom and is looking into what happened.

In the meantime, Marom said she is considering a lawsuit.

“The only right and just outcome would be for her to get the car or alternatively or get the money, the value of the car, in cash,” said lawyer David Kubiliun of Kubiliun & Associates.

Marom said she used to go to the casino three times a week but will not go back again until she gets what she believes is hers.

Contact Us