Winning a million and then losing it when an online casino goes out of business

There can be few online gambling events sadder than the story of New Yorker Susanne Uebler which came to light this week and will stir sympathy in the toughest player heart.

Ms. Uebler won herself a million dollars some six years ago in a trivia contest at Cybercroupier group's Oriental Casino.com, and received only a small percentage of this live-changing bonanza before the company went out of business around 2003.

She is now involved in a costly and protracted legal battle for the prize she has so far been denied, and the software company that licensed Oriental Casino, Boss Media is in the firing line.