Dear Mark,
Does the Megabucks machine that has a jackpot of $1,252,000
and continually climbing in Reno have the exact same
jackpot in Las Vegas? Jim K.
Yes,
Jim, they are exactly the same. Megabucks is a statewide
network of progressive slot carousels linked together
to produce huge, dramatic jackpots. It was created by
IGT to challenge the big payoffs found in state lotteries.
Each slot machine in the Megabucks network plays independently.
A small computer chip in each machine monitors every
coin played and communicates that information electronically
to a mainframe computer at IGT’s headquarters in
Reno.
The central computer
keeps track of every Megabucks slot and maintains
a constant tally of the jackpot. Then the computer
projects the ever-changing jackpot total to all
Megabuck units where it is displayed on the digital
tote board.
Dear Mark,
I love to play Nevada Megabucks but can’t afford
$3 every pull. Occasionally I try to second guess
the machine’s rhythm of hot and cold cycles
and play accordingly. Obviously that means playing
less than $3 each time. Is this a bad strategy?
Rob S.
With all my parochial schooling, Rob, I always thought
the rhythm method had something to do with birth
control.
No progressive machine, Rob, should ever be played
without the maximum amount of coins required. With
all progressives, a percentage of all coins played
goes into the progressive jackpot that continually
grows until some lucky soul hits it. But if you
don’t play the maximum amount of coins, you
can’t retire from your crummy job. Your jackpot
with one coin inserted would be a picayune $5,000—not
enough to tell your boss to “shove it.”
I suggest you look at a progressive meter and consider
what a nincompoop you would be if you lined up the
three Megabucks’ symbols but failed to risk
two additional tokens.
