Hitting the jackpot on a progressive bank

On a bank of progressive machines, all being the same kind, when the jackpot is hit, would it be on a certain machine of the bunch or when the money played has reached the payout pre-selected limit? In other words, could it be any machine of the bunch (so it wouldn't matter which machine you played)?

Thanks for all the tips you provide to us players.

Barrett

Dear Barrett,

Thanks for the kind words about my columns.

Let's further clarify the situation. We're playing Class III slot machines (the kind that has its own RNG, like the machines in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Tunica, et al.) and the jackpot is awarded when a particular combination lands on the payline.

Each machines polls its RNG to determine the outcome of its spins. If a machine's RNG happens to select the jackpot combination, the machine sends a message to the progressive controller indicating that it hit the jackpot. The progressive controller then resets the progressive amount and sends a message to the other machines in the bank that the progressive has been hit and tells them the new progressive amount.

There is no "pre-selected limit." Any machine in the bank could be the next one to hit. It doesn't matter which one you play; your chances are the same on every machine.

Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
John

Send your slot and video poker questions to John Robison, Slot Expert, at slotexpert@comcast.net. Because of the volume of mail I receive, I regret that I can't reply to every question.