Barney Vinson's World

Ever wonder what happens when you hit a progressive slot jackpot in a casino? Well, the first thing the casino will do is open the machine to make sure you won the money legitimately. To get technical about it, there's a sealed microprocessor with a serial number inside the machine. There's also a lead seal with a wire that goes through the microprocessor, and this seal has a casino stamp on it. After these are checked, a casino technician will use a device called a 'chipsum' to verify that the microprocessor hasn't been switched. Don't be insulted. There are a lot of slot cheats roaming the streets and the casino is just being careful. While you're waiting, have a free drink, and think about which charities you want to give all that money to.

When you hit a hit a big jackpot like Megabucks, the machine will lock up so that you don't accidentally erase the winning symbols. This can result in some strange but true stories. An Asian man inserted a $10 bill into a Megabucks machine and on his first spin won the progressive jackpot of $21 million. When told how much money he'd won, his first question was, "Where my other seven dollar?"

One sleepy morning I was walking through Caesars Palace when a woman stopped me to complain that her machine wouldn't work. I looked at the symbols on her machine, then told her, "Ma'am, you just won a new car!"

Speaking of cars, here's a true story that happened some 20 years ago in a Vegas casino. A woman lined up three winning symbols for a new Buick. After all the paperwork had been filled out, she was asked to play off the winning symbols to re-set the machine. She put in three more quarters — and won another Buick!