If you’ve ever seen a big jackpot go off at a casino, oftentimes the machine is offline for an extended period of time, at least a few hours, before it gets put back into commission. A player was curious as to the reasoning:
Can you tell us why when a machine hits for a very large jackpot like $1.5 million, why that machine stays closed for quite a period of time?
Sandra B.
Most of the biggest progressives aren’t offered by the casino, but by the companies that make the games. That means when one of those prizes are won, they are processed by the slot makers, not the casino.
When a casino pays a jackpot, it’s coming from their funds, and of course their staff is already at the casino because, well, it’s their casino! On the other hand, it’s often not the case that those who need to validate a jackpot are on site. So step one is that there’s often a drive, sometimes in the length of hours, that is required to get someone on site to verify the jackpot.
Another step that’s often taken for these levels of prizes is a verification that the machine didn’t malfunction. So a technician from the game maker will review the internal logs and the machine itself to ensure everything is as it should be.
Then, finally, documentation is captured like any other jackpot, and payment arrangements are captured. Since the game maker doesn’t have cash on site, there will be a processing period before a player gets paid.
If the prize is an annuity, the player will receive the first payment within a couple of weeks generally, and then receive annual payments after that. If it’s a lump sum (which some prizes of this sort may offer the player as an option), it’ll be processed similarly to how lotteries process payments, so it takes a bit of time given the size of money involved.
Ultimately, the machine’s offline longer because of the steps and resources involved. But it’s worth noting that even when the casino is banking the prizes on offer, such as on a high limit Dragon Link, it can also be the case that there are additional steps as the amount of money increases, based on a casino’s own jurisdictional requirements and internal processes.
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