Aliante Casino, in North Las Vegas, is also home to a huge, 3,400-seat cinema, known as Alliante Stadium 16, and consequently a popular destination for film buffs as well as gamblers. One regular cinemagoer – a gentleman from Southern Nevada, identified only as ‘Clint’ – had more reason to celebrate than most following his visit to the Aliante Casino in September, 2019. While waiting to take his seat in the auditorium, he invested $20 in the International Game Technology (IGT) Wheel of Fortune slot machine, one of over 2,000 such machines on the casino floor.
Opting to play five quarters, or 25¢ coins, at a time, for a total of $1.25 a spin – the minimum stake required to win the progressive jackpot on that version of the machine – Clint only had to press the spin button a few times before he lined up the jackpot winning symbols. At the time, the jackpot meter – which starts at $200,000 and increases by a small percentage for each coin played on a number of interconnected slot machines – stood at $935,176 or nearly £765,000.
According to a press release from Boyd Gaming, which owns and operates Aliante Casino, Clint is a new resident of the region; he was unable for comment, he was happy to pose, winning cheque in hand, for publicity photographs in front of the machine responsible for his life-changing win. Which film he originally intended to watch and whether or not he actually watched it remain unconfirmed.