Superbet pays out €30 million following slot machine software bug in Romania

• Superbet honoured €30 million in winnings despite software glitch in Fire Blaze Red Wizard slot game
• 7,500 player accounts initially blocked after exploiting bug that guaranteed wins on every hand
• Company unblocked accounts and allowed full withdrawals to maintain reputation for paying all winnings

Superbet has paid out more than €30 million to players who exploited a software bug that guaranteed winnings on every bet placed on the Fire Blaze Red Wizard slot game.

The incident occurred on Saturday evening when the Playtech-developed slot game began offering guaranteed wins to all players, leading to massive losses for the Romanian gambling operator.

Update: Superbet says it wasn’t a cyber attack

Superbet representatives told Libertatea that it was not a cyber security incident. The causes are be determined in the near future.

“The causes of the technical incident are yet to be determined, but it is a laborious process. We remain firm in our commitment to our customers, to provide them with the most rewarding, innovative and secure digital entertainment ecosystem in the global industry,” the statement reads.

In an email sent on to our newsroom on the 24th of September, a spokesperson said:

Once we have a full result of the technical forensics on this case, we will be able to provide more details.

Playtech statement on the situation

Playtech has reached out to our newsroom with a brief statement on the situation, confirming that there are no issues with any Playtech slot. It remains to be seen whether Superbet’s investigation into the incident will uncover another cause for the situation.

“We confirm that there are no malfunctions or gameplay issues with this or any other Playtech slot.

“Playtech games are operating as normal, and any reported concerns are unrelated to Playtech game functionality.”

According to Prosport, the technical error first became apparent around 8pm on Saturday when information began circulating on gambling discussion groups that the Fire Blaze Red Wizard game was offering guaranteed winnings on every hand. Players could only bet one Romanian Leu (€0.20) per hand, but every single bet was guaranteed to win due to the software malfunction.

Rumors spread in online groups

Word spread rapidly among gambling enthusiasts, who flooded the Superbet platform to exploit the bug. Players continued betting through the night, with winnings accumulating continuously as each hand guaranteed a payout. The situation persisted for several hours, with players initially unsure whether they would receive their winnings given the obvious technical nature of the error.

Superbet initially responded by blocking 7,500 accounts that had registered significant winnings from the glitch. The operator faced a dilemma between protecting itself from massive losses and maintaining its reputation for paying out all legitimate winnings.

Superbet allowed withdrawal of winnings

In an unprecedented move, Superbet’s management decided to honour all winnings obtained from the software error, including those from the 7,500 initially blocked accounts. The company unblocked all affected accounts and sent a message to users confirming they could withdraw their full winnings.

The company stated in its message to affected players according Prosport:

“Hello,

The additional investigations following your activity on certain Casino games have been completed, and your account has been unblocked.

We have made the decision to honour all payments for those games, taking into account the history and status that Superbet has in the Romanian gambling industry.

We are known as the betting and casino operator that pays any winnings, regardless of the amounts. As those who accept all bets and any stakes on games. And we do not want this to change.”

The message continued:

“All restrictions on your account have been removed. Enjoy your winnings! Good luck!”

Players who received information about the bug on Saturday were able to bet continuously with guaranteed returns, leading some to accumulate substantial winnings over several hours. When players attempted to withdraw their winnings, they were surprised to find the money had been transferred to their accounts as real funds.

Players stormed Facebook Groups and TikTok publishing content on the topic, some even sharing screenshots of the withdrawals. The ‘unlucky’ players who missed the tip are claiming that the move was merely a marketing ploy designed to put the operator in the spotlight.

Superbet protected by T&Cs

According to Libertatea, Superbet was protected by its own Terms and Conditions.

In the terms and conditions accepted by players when creating accounts on the site, one article specifies that any winnings resulting from technical issues will not be paid. Yet, in a remarkable move, Superbet chose to honour the payouts, a decision that has left many in awe, including the players.

This decision has left Superbet without a sum equivalent to two and a half years of activity, Adevarul, one of Romania’s oldest daily newspapers reports.

The paper notes that Superbet issued a public statement to counter speculations circulating online such as “a deliberate reduction of GGR to pay the state less money – the tax to ANAF is 30% of GGR – the siphoning of money from the company by administrators, an act of piracy, or a move by the secret services.”

Superbet statement for TVR

TVR Info, Romania’s legacy public broadcaster, published on its website a statement from Superbet, provided in response to the outlet’s request. The statement reads:

Superbet is honouring payments in full of over 30 million euros, generated by an incident whose causes are being analysed at this moment together with our partners. It is essential to mention that the incident in question has been completely resolved, and the Superbet platform and services remain safe and completely available for our customers’ entertainment.

Following preliminary evaluations, we identified a series of winnings calculated incorrectly, which led to the erroneous attribution of sums larger than those which should have been awarded according to the random components of the game.

In this context, our company has remained consistent with its vision of always doing what is right for our customers. Thus, we have decided to honour all payments resulting from this situation.

Through the decision to honour these payments, we demonstrate the assumption of an organisational culture based on trust in relation to customers and the capacity to manage unforeseen situations.

This approach represents one of the factors that underpin the exponential growth of our company. Thanks to this philosophy, Superbet has managed to constantly innovate and transform itself into one of the most important global sports betting and gaming operators.

We remain firm in our commitment to customers, to offer them the most competitive, innovative and safe digital entertainment ecosystem in the global industry.

The incident highlights the potential risks gambling operators face from software vulnerabilities and the importance of rapid technical response systems. For Superbet, the €30 million loss represents a significant financial impact that occurred within just a few hours due to the technical malfunction.