Where to Find Megabucks
Online slots are the golden geese of the gambling industry, responsible for over 70% of casino revenues in both sector segments, digital and land-based. A late 19-century invention, reel-spinners dominate all gaming floors and are the preferred gambling option for most casual players. Why? Well, they feature simple gameplay and offer up jaw-dropping prizes, which seems to be reason enough.
Jackpot slots are their most popular sub-genre, machines that payout staggering prizes that go up to several millions of dollars. Recently, Megabucks, the most popular land-based reel-spinner ever, has again made the news. The Megabucks jackpot has reached a size of $15.4 million, the highest total since 2012.
This International Game Technology (IGT) creation is likely the most popular game in Vegas, with a list of Megabucks winners several feet long. However, even thirty-four years after its release, you cannot find American online casinos that have Megabucks. It is a land-based industry exclusive. To enjoy it and test your luck on its reels, you will have to visit one of over sixty Vegas venues. Below, we list what we believe are your best options.
Excalibur Hotel and Casino
We kick off our list with the most kid-friendly gambling establishment in the City of Second Chances if there is such a thing. We do so, not because of its 100,000 square-foot gaming floor that is home to over 1,400 one-armed bandits and dozens of table games, but because it is the site of the largest slot win ever. That is right, the casino gambling world record got set on a Megabucks machine at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino in 2003. The game paid out a prize worth $39 million to a 25-year-old software developer from California.
Palace Station
Is Palace Station the site of the second-largest Megabucks win? No. Sadly, that was the former Desert Inn, which was demolished in 2004 to make way for the Wynn and Encore. However, in 2000, it was the site of a $35 million jackpot. That said, Palace Station is where the third-largest Megabucks payout occurred two years prior, a winning combo worth $27.5 million. Station Casinos operates Palace Stations, and you can find it on West Sahara Avenue. Its owners are the Fertitta brothers, Frank and Lorenzo, who ran the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) from 2001 to 2016. Palace Stations has more than 1,700 slot machines, and it incorporates a race and sportsbook on its property.
Caesars Palace
Founded in 1966 and located on the south section of Las Vegas Boulevard, Caesars Palace is one of Sin City’s best-known landmarks. Most analysts credit this iconic brand for transforming gaming hospitality by creating grandiosity similar to that present during the Roman empire. It has precisely 1,325 machines that offer reel-spinning action and video poker. While this venue is rich in history and luxury, it has also been over twenty years since it has produced a Megabucks win over $20 million. In 1999, a 49-year-old Illinois man cashed-out a $21 million jackpot.
New York-New York
New York-New York is an MGM Resorts establishment that opened its doors in 1997, next to the Park MGM and Excalibur. Naturally, given its name, it is a Big Apple-inspired locale, where many of its restaurants, lounges, and meeting areas bear the names of famous New York City landmarks. For example, the casino floor is called Times Square. It houses over 2,000 gambling machines and many high-stakes table games. However, have any massive jackpot wins happened here? Yes, a lucky lady hit a $12.5 million prize in April of 1997.
Harrah’s Las Vegas
Easily accessible via the Las Vegas Monorail, Harrah’s has been a Strip staple for close to 50 years. It has a free pool, more shows than you can count, and is a favorite of hardcore Elvis fans. It boasts about 1,200 gaming machines and over 80 table games. It has a race and sportsbook and offers multiple fine-dining options. It is also the place where one of the first massive Megabucks payouts occurred. In 1992, a Sacramento nurse took home a reward of $9.3 million on a single spin.
The Bellagio
Owned by the Blackstone Group and run by MGM Resorts, the Bellagio is a casino that draws inspiration from the small Lake Como town of Bellagio. Thus, it features an eight-acre lake, which is home to the Fountains of Bellagio, a set of more than a thousand fountains spanning over 1,000 feet, with water jets that soar 450 feet into the air. It is one of the city’s top sights. In 2000, in the same week when the then-record-setting win of $35 million occurred at the Desert Inn, a lucky man struck a $7.7 million jackpot at the Bellagio. According to the payout rules, his first installment was a check for $313,000. Twenty years after that event, IGT’s prized spinner still has a place on the Bellagio floor along with 2,300 other titles that let you test your good fortune.
Circus Circus
You can find Circus Circus on the south part of the Strip, and much like the Excalibur, it is one of the few family-oriented Vegas casinos. If you are in the city, you cannot miss it, as it resembles a giant circus tent. Next to it is the Adventuredome, a five-acre indoor amusement park that boasts several impressive rides. Gambling-wise, this site is only one of four floors that surpass 100,000 square-feet in Nevada. There, you will find over 1,400 machines and 40 game tables. Has it ever been the site of a massive win? No, not one that is super-notable. So you have an opportunity to be its first IGT multi-millionaire.
MGM Grand
When speaking of gambling floors more than 100,000 square-feet large, the MGM Grand one requires a mention, as its casino area is 70,000 feet bigger than the Circus Circus one. There you can find over 3,000 games available 24/7. MGM Grand Resorts is one of the strongest brands in the industry, and it is the largest hotel complex in the US, with over 5,000 rooms, and the third-largest hotel in the world. Located on the Las Vegas Boulevard intersection, you cannot cross the street to reach this facility. Instead, you have to take overhead pedestrian bridges from its neighbors, the Tropicana and New York-New York.
The Venetian
If we are touching on the subject of mega-resorts, we have to mention the one that began this trend. Launched in 1999, the Venetian was Sheldon Adelson’s prized jewel. The casino magnate announced plans of building this resort in 1997, on the property where the Sands Hotel resided. Three years later, singing gondoliers opened this site, which cost a whopping $1.5 billion to build. According to many, it is the premier Strip hotel, and no one should miss its canals of Venice and Saint Mark’s Square replicas. Over 1,200 games grace its gaming premises, and it also has 37 dedicated poker rooms. In 2019, a lucky gambler landed a $1.8 million jackpot here.
Wynn
Named after developer Steve Wynn, this is the flagship property of Wynn Resorts. It is a sprawling $2.7 billion complex located across the Fashion Show Mall. As you would expect, the gaming facilities here are top-notch, and it features up-to-date industry releases. It is notable for being one of the first Nevada locales to incorporate skill-based gambling machines in 2017. A year before, an anonymous gambler here won $10.7 million on the International Game Technology Wynn Wheel, a variation of their most popular slot creation. If elegance is what you are after, the Wynn is the place to visit, as sophistication here lurks behind every corner.
To Sum Up
So, if you feel extra lucky and you are in the Entertainment and Gambling Capital of the World, then playing the Megabucks slot is a no-brainer. Unfortunately, you cannot whip out a payout calculator and do the math on what the jackpot will reach when you visit Sin City. However, do not worry, as if anyone claims it, its reset amount is still in the millions.
If you do not want to leave your home but still want to try your chance at games that feature astronomical odds and mouth-watering jackpots, know that you cannot play Megabucks lot online. That said, Mega Moolah is a more-than suitable digital alternative. The Microgaming reels spinner makes one millionaire every three to four months, and its record payout stands at $21.7 million. It is the perfect internet alternative that can make you equally rich as reel-spinners available at fancy tourist destinations.