Everyone who has ever dropped a few bucks into a slot machine or plunked down chips on the green felt at a casino has dreamed of winning the big jackpot, one that would put them in the money for good. These lucky (and sometimes unlucky) people beat the odds and struck paper gold at casinos all over the country.
The biggest slot jackpot in history was won by a Bensalem, Pennsylvania woman who won $14.3 million on a single machine in Atlantic City in early 2011. She didn’t count cards or do anything else special, but she was the first person to win a major progressive jackpot since a California man walked away with $1.9 billion in the Megabucks game in 2008.
A Ventura County man hit a $1.3 million jackpot at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez on July 1. It was the casino’s largest jackpot in its history. He was playing a progressive machine and only five weeks earlier had won a $556,000 jackpot on another machine in the Higher Limits room. The man is not identifying himself but he said he will give some of the money to his family and friends.
He is also planning to travel, and he has a couple of big projects in the works. One is to work with a local businessman to build a hotel in downtown Santa Ynez. The other project involves a series of high-rise buildings that will be home to offices and condos. The developer plans to have the first building open by 2017.
The casino is a great place to gamble, but it’s not without its problems. There have been several disputes over jackpots and payout amounts. Some people have claimed they won huge jackpots when the casino says it wasn’t right.
In addition, some casinos have been accused of inflating the payouts on certain machines. In the past, these claims were based on mechanical machines that used physical reels, but modern casinos use electronic ones. This makes it hard to detect these errors, which could be caused by faulty software or simply human error.
The best way to avoid this is to play for smaller jackpots and pay close attention to the machine’s payouts. It’s also a good idea to check the machine’s RTP (return to player) percentage and compare it with the percentage for similar machines at other casinos.
Some states have statewide progressive slots that link machines in various casinos to create a common pool of prizes. This can be an exciting way to play, but you should keep in mind that these machines have lousy odds compared to individual games. Pioneering analysis by the Wizard of Odds showed that a large portion of each dollar played on a statewide machine goes to feed the jackpot and only about 78 cents is returned in small pays.
There are many reasons to avoid progressive machines. They have some of the worst odds in gambling, which means you’re more likely to lose than win. Also, to qualify for the top prizes, you usually need to play maximum bet credits, which can quickly drain your bankroll. There was a fun thread on Flyertalk about this issue last year.