Slot-machine jackpots in Las Vegas are common — an occurrence almost as regular as traffic lane closures on I-15 or U.S. 95.
But April 21 brought a respectable payday to a “Wheel of Fortune” player. Our more-than-reliable sources say a machine at the Excalibur on the south Strip lined up for a prize valued at nearly $411,000.
Of course, the winner doesn’t actually take home that amount. In fact, there’s typically choice between a lump sum significantly less than $411K, or the winner can take the winning amount spread over 20 or 30 years.
Either way, there’s taxes involved. Plenty of taxes.
The game that awarded the prize is a popular one in Southern Nevada. It’s a 25-cent “progressive” machine and it takes five “coin in” — or $1.25 to be eligible for the top prize.
Still, five quarters that hit a $411,000 jackpot on a weekend afternoon — even weighing the taxes — is a respectable payday.
This game resets at $200,000, and it’s already climbing again.
Won’t be long before another “payday.”
It’s a fact.
