MegaBucks

I read that on the Mega Bucks (or any other progressive) any of the machines in the link can hit the jackpot at any time. I am curious about that statement. I know that winning odds are set by the manufacturer to the casinos wishes. Are all of the machines in the link set at the lowest allowable payout? Can some machines be set to pay out anything but the top prize and still fall into the allowable percentage?

Good question. To be pedantic, the manufacturer doesn't necessarily set the machine to the casino's wishes. Rather the machine offers a number of software configurations that can be loaded on to EPROMs, each with different payback percentages. The casino swaps the EPROMs according to their wishes.

In the case of Megabucks each set will have different payouts for the lower end prizes that changes the payback percentage. The chances of each reel combination will remain the same. A similar example would be a Jacks or Better video poker machine. A casino might have one JoB machine that pays 6 for a flush and another that pays 5 for a flush. The chances of hitting a flush (and royal flush) on each machine are the same but the one that pays 5 for a flush will have a lower payback percentage.

EDIT: This is conjecture since I've never read a Megabucks PARS sheet.

Quote: GrumpyLP

Can some machines be set to pay out anything but the top prize and still fall into the allowable percentage?

If I read this right, and you are asking if they are allowed to set up a Megabucks machine so that the chance of hitting the jackpot is zero, then I'm pretty certain the answer is, "Not legally" - especially if you need a third coin to activate the progressive and none of the other payouts are increased by that third coin.

This brings up an interesting question - can a pay table display a combination that is impossible to achieve? (For example, "three Red 7s" where there aren't any red (or wild) 7s on the third reel, or the machine is set up so there are no "logical" red 7s on the third reel even if they physically exist?) Obviously, this would be asking for a fraud lawsuit, but is it illegal criminally?

Quote: ThatDonGuy

This brings up an interesting question - can a pay table display a combination that is impossible to achieve?

I remember talking to my parents about slot machines and the fact that lemons were always a bad-news icon. They claimed that (in the old days) the quip was, "If you get three lemons, you win the machine." Only two of the three reels had lemons. In reality, getting a lemon on either of those two reels meant zero payout, regardless of what else came up.

Quote: ThatDonGuy

This brings up an interesting question - can a pay table display a combination that is impossible to achieve? (For example, "three Red 7s" where there aren't any red (or wild) 7s on the third reel, or the machine is set up so there are no "logical" red 7s on the third reel even if they physically exist?) Obviously, this would be asking for a fraud lawsuit, but is it illegal criminally?

To "fix" a gaming device to not pay an advertised prize is a felony in Nevada.

Quote: Nevada Revised Statutes

NRS 465.083 Cheating. It is unlawful for any person, whether the person is an owner or employee of or a player in an establishment, to cheat at any gambling game.

(Added to NRS by 1967, 1282; A 1969, 408; 1977, 325; 1979, 1478; 1981, 1294)

NRS 465.085 Unlawful manufacture, sale, distribution, marking, altering or modification of equipment and devices associated with gaming; unlawful instruction.

1. It is unlawful to manufacture, sell or distribute any cards, chips, dice, game or device which is intended to be used to violate any provision of this chapter.

2. It is unlawful to mark, alter or otherwise modify any associated equipment or gaming device, as defined in chapter 463 of NRS, in a manner that:

(a) Affects the result of a wager by determining win or loss; or

(b) Alters the normal criteria of random selection, which affects the operation of a game or which determines the outcome of a game.

3. It is unlawful for any person to instruct another in cheating or in the use of any device for that purpose, with the knowledge or intent that the information or use so conveyed may be employed to violate any provision of this chapter.

(Added to NRS by 1967, 1283; A 1975, 697; 1977, 386; 1979, 1478; 1981, 1294; 1989, 972)

NRS 465.088 Penalties for violation of NRS 465.070 to 465.085, inclusive.

1. A person who violates any provision of NRS 465.070 to 465.085, inclusive, is guilty of a category B felony and shall be punished:

(a) For the first offense, by imprisonment in the state prison for a minimum term of not less than 1 year and a maximum term of not more than 6 years, or by a fine of not more than $10,000, or by both fine and imprisonment.

(b) For a second or subsequent violation of any of these provisions, by imprisonment in the state prison for a minimum term of not less than 1 year and a maximum term of not more than 6 years, and may be further punished by a fine of not more than $10,000. The court shall not suspend a sentence of imprisonment imposed pursuant to this paragraph, or grant probation to the person convicted.

2. A person who attempts, or two or more persons who conspire, to violate any provision of NRS 465.070 to 465.085, inclusive, each is guilty of a category B felony and shall be punished by imposing the penalty provided in subsection 1 for the completed crime, whether or not he or she personally played any gambling game or used any prohibited device.

(Added to NRS by 1981, 1292; A 1985, 970; 1995, 1295)

In one of my financial accounting classes i did a report on IGT. If I recall correctly, IGT manages the jackpots for the statewide games (they provide the seed money and manage the contribution to the meter). To me that would imply that the odds of hitting the jackpot are the same on every machine regardless of the other payback settings.