How much did the players in Coconut Creek bet?

You only hit the jackpot if you bet the maximum (called “covering all the paylines” in slot parlance.) On March 22, Paulette Miles of Margate, who won $1.1 million on “Cash Cow,” played nine lines at 5 cents a line (a 45-cent bet). On July 19, a Lake Worth man who didn’t reveal his identity won $2 million on “Wheel of Fortune,” betting 25 cents per line over nine lines ($2.25 a spin). On Oct. 14, Gaskin played “Millionaire Sevens” and what is called a three-bet, 20-line, nickel reel machine ($3 per push).

How are such big jackpots rolling up?

The Seminole casinos are part of what are called wide-area progressive machines, linked to Native American casinos nationwide. Gaskin’s machine was one of 180 machines at 41 Native American casino nationwide. The three Broward racinos have slots that can be linked inside their own buildings, but not with other casinos – although they’re asking the state to allow them. Their largest jackpots often are at $250,000 or so.

Is there a downside to wide-area progressives?

Well, an undisclosed percentage of money from each spin is siphoned off from the regular payouts to build up the jackpot pool. So if you don’t hit the jackpot, the overall payout is lower than at non-progressive machines.

So if the payout is shared among 41 casinos, Coconut Creek hasn’t been hit that hard.

Correct.

How are the players paid?

They can walk out the door that day with a lump sum, or take installments over many years. Such decisions are not made public, Coconut Creek management says.