A tourist managed to hit the jackpot of a Las Vegas slot machine at the beginning of the year but left the casino without knowing this due to an error in the machine. It took almost three weeks for the agents of the Gaming Board to find the Arizona man so that he receives his $229,000 winning.
On January 8th, 2022, Robert Taylor hit a jackpot on one of the slot machines at the gaming floor of the Treasure Island Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. However, as reported by Nevada Gaming Control Board, Mr. Taylor left the casino unaware of this because of a malfunction that prevented both the player and the casino staff from realizing that the man had won a progressive jackpot. He had returned home to Arizona by the time the review of slot machine and communications technology was finalized to confirm the progressive jackpot had truly been hit.
The casino personnel did not manage to identify the man by the time the slot machine’s error was found, so the state’s Gaming Board started an exhaustive search to make sure that the casino patron received his prize. Gaming officials ordered an extensive review of hours of surveillance footage, checked electronic purchase records, interviewed witnesses, and also analyzed rideshare data that was provided by the Nevada Transportation Authority.
The investigation identified Robert Taylor from Arizona as the mysterious jackpot winner. The man was notified about his winning on January 28th, almost 3 weeks after he hit the jackpot.
Arizona Casino Patron Wins Progressive Jackpot of $229,000 at the Treasure Island Hotel & Casino
Gaming officials also confirmed that the player is set to return to Las Vegas in order to collect his prize, which amounts to almost $230,000.
The chief of enforcement for the Nevada Gaming Control Board, James Taylor, noted that the body is responsible for the strict regulation of the local gambling industry and the protection of the local people from possible gambling harm, as well as making sure that the state benefits from the gambling sector. He formally praised the enforcement division’s agents for the good work as they made sure that the public trust in the gambling industry was kept intact while spending countless hours to ensure that the lucky casino patron receives his winning.
The chief of the enforcement unit at the Nevada Gaming Control Board also praised the Nevada Transportation Authority for assisting the gambling regulatory body’s officers in confirming the identity of the casino patron who had won the progressive jackpot.
The gambling industry in Nevada has managed to recover since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. In a report released in January, the local gambling regulatory body revealed that casinos generated record earnings of $13.4 billion in 2021, up from the $12 billion earned in 2019.
Michael Lawton, an analyst of the Nevada Gaming Control Board confirmed this was an all-time record for gaming win, which beat a previous record of $12.8 billion set in 2007. According to Mr. Lawton, the successful performance of the sector is pretty much due to the vaccine rollouts that have increased the gambling demand and led to lifting the reduced capacity limits in local casinos.
