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Politics : Ask Michael Burke -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Les H who wrote (72628)	1/1/2000 9:32:00 AM
From: Les H	Respond to of 132070

FOCUS-U.S. gamblers at racetracks bitten by Y2K bug Updated 8:12 PM ET December 31, 1999 WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (Reuters) - Gamblers at three Delaware racetracks were bitten by the Y2K bug when slot-machines refused to take their bets, President Clinton's top adviser on the Year 2000 computer rollover said on Friday. John Koskinen said the only significant Y2K glitch reported in the United States so far was at the Delaware racetracks. "The state of Delaware has advised that it did experience a Y2K problem with a small number of slot machines operated at the three racetracks," he told amused reporters. The problem cropped up on Thursday when the machines, which have a three-day "look-ahead" feature, refused to accept wagers when they looked forward into 2000. About 150 machines in total were involved at the three racetracks. "They just wouldn't work," Koskinen said, but technicians fixed them within 24 hours and they were back in use on Friday, he added. Delaware state lottery director Wayne Lemons said the crowds at the tracks took the problems mostly in stride, noting that the tracks had added machines over the past year. "All (slot machine) vendors assured us they were Y2K compliant," Lemons said. "One of the vendors happened to have a particular type of machine...that turned out not to be Y2K compliant," he added. Koskinen said he had no estimate how much money might have been lost to the racetracks because of the machines' obstinacy, nor did he know why a slot-machine needed to look ahead three days before accepting a wager.