Player Hits $3.3 Million Jackpot at Bellagio

By Scott Roeben, on February 13 2023
2 min read 4 comments
Gambling Las Vegas Slot Machines

Wheel of Fortune is one of the most popular and successful slot machines of all time, and here’s another reason why: A guest at Bellagio won $3.3 million on a Wheel of Fortune Triple Gold Gold Spin machine.

The exact win was $3,257,825.87.

The over-under on how much was tipped is zero dollars. Don’t get us started.

Las Vegas doesn’t have the lottery, but it does have the Vanna.

The winner of the big-ass jackpot has chosen to remain anonymous so far, probably due to the fact they want to avoid having distant cousins emerge from the woodwork to ask for money.

The win was shared by Bellagio (on Feb. 5, 2023, the jackpot was hit on Feb. 4) and the slot manufacturer, IGT, with no additional information such as the denomination played or whether the player had a cardiac arrest or not.

This is one of the biggest slot jackpots at a Las Vegas casino in recent memory, and easily the biggest of 2023 so far.

Most of the slot jackpots we’ve tracked recently are in the $1 million to $1.2 million range.

As we’ve shared, the exhilaration of winning a massive jackpot can take a turn once the paperwork starts.

When a progressive jackpot hits, the casino contacts the slot maker, the company verifies the win and players get to deal with taxes (27% in federal taxes are withheld right off the top) and making a decision between receiving a lump sum (the jackpot minus future interest) or payments over time (an annuity). Most people take the lump sum.

The casino doesn’t pay big progressive slot jackpots, the slot manufacturer does.

The player then decides whether they want to participate in publicity about the jackpot. In the case of the winner at Bellagio, the answer appears to have been “nope.”

It’s a lot more fun when the winner takes part! The photos often show a mildly annoyed gambler who doesn’t look all that thrilled at the prospect of sitting around for four hours to fill out paperwork. Often, the photo features a giant check. In some winner photos, the check is held in front of the winner’s face.

Whatever the scenario, big wins are what keep the Las Vegas dream alive.

For most people, $3.3 million is life-changing money, even after taxes.

Congrats to the winner, or as multimillion-dollar slot jackpot winners are known in the parlance of the industry, “lucky bastards.”

 

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