In recent content we’ve shared that the traditional determination of who is awarded a jackpot is who pushes the button. (We also noted this isn’t universal, because these rules can be set by the gaming commission in a jurisdiction, or even in some places by each casino separately.)
A player wonders why it’s not more focused around the players card:
I thought it was whoever’s card was in the machine?
Kathy C.
There’s a few reasons why the players card isn’t generally the primary deciding factor.
Sometimes There’s No Card
Some players are superstitious and don’t play with a card. Others simply never registered to get one for whatever reason (they’re only playing for a few minutes, aren’t likely to return, etc.). But since there’s some percentage of the time where a card won’t be present, it’s not universal enough to be in that category.
Sometimes Cards Are Accidentally Left Behind
There are scenarios where a player forgets to take their card out, another person sits down and begins playing, and… well, luck has arrived. The human factor creates challenges to relying on the card as the governing
Sometimes a Player Uses Someone Else’s Card
While many casinos have rules that say you’re not supposed to play with another person’s card, some players do anyway. And so if the player whose card is in the machine isn’t even on premises it creates difficulty if they’re the one who supposedly won the jackpot.
And as we’ve cautioned here in the past, some casinos will outright reject a jackpot if someone is playing with someone else’s card, so in this case the use of a card can be an invalidating data point as opposed to a validating one (if it’s not yours, of course).
Having the Right Card In Doesn’t Hurt Though
Generally it’s a simpler transaction when the player who made the wager, the factor casinos often care the most about, also is the one with the card in the machine. If the card in the machine differs from the person who wagered, and the casino realizes this, they have to do work to make sure in their system the right person is credited with the jackpot.
So when you see Brian Christopher pushing the button and using his card, such as in a group slot pull, that speeds up the processing of a jackpot. In the case of self pay or fast pay, he can even do it right on the machine.
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