German gambler avoids prison with help from slot machine

BERLIN – A gambler in Germany has been saved from prison by a one-armed bandit.

Police said Thursday that two officers carrying out routine checks at an arcade in the western city of Bochum late last week discovered that a man playing a slot machine faced an arrest warrant.

He had been ordered to pay a $910 fine or go to prison for 71 days after resisting police during a previous incident.

Police say that as officers informed the man that he faced arrest, the slot machine started to flash and the beaming 37-year-old won a $1,270 jackpot.

The man paid his fine on the spot -- in cash.