SO CLOSE: Woman denied $43M slot machine win, offered steak dinner instead.

An unemployed mother of four thought she had hit a nearly $43 million jackpot on a slot machine, changing her life forever. Then she learned the crushing news: There would be no millions because the machine was malfunctioning. The casino offered her a steak dinner instead.

Katrina Bookman of Queens, N.Y., was playing the slots at the Resorts World Casino near La Guardia Airport in late August when the machine she was using told her, “Printing cash ticket. $42,949,672.76.”

Customers and casino personnel surrounded her as she celebrated her massive win. She was escorted from the casino floor and told to come back the next day. Bookman, who grew up in foster care, was already making plans for the money, including a barber shop for her son.

“What did I win?” Bookman asked when she returned to the casino, WABC-TV reported. “‘You didn’t win nothing,'” she says she was told.

The New York State Gaming Commission told Bookman she was not entitled to any winnings because the machine, which is only supposed to pay out a maximum win of $6,500, was malfunctioning. All the machines are labeled with a disclaimer reading, “Malfunctions void all pays and plays.” According to the gaming commission, her actual winnings were just $2.25.

What was an unemployed mother of four doing playing the slots?