Customer tastes change often. Sometimes preferences align with corporate business plans and other times they don’t. There’s a customer trend in Las Vegas that seems to make both recreational gamblers and casino corporations happy.
Las Vegas jackpots!
Las Vegas casino guests have been playing games in search of big jackpot wins for a few years. This trend continues to grow thanks to casinos that are more than happy to offer popular games with bigger jackpots…and a larger house edge.
- Slot Machines: Gamblers love playing Megabucks slot machines because of the huge jackpots found in the statewide linked machines. Smaller but still sizeable jackpots can be found in other linked progressive slot machines.
- Sportsbooks: Sharper and experienced gamblers don’t mind wagering $110 to win $100. However, many younger jackpot hunters prefer low rolling with small money parlays that could turn a $3 wager into $2,400.
- Table Games: Instead of playing a game that pays even money, table game players are seeking jackpots with side bets that pay multiples or progressives jackpots.
Caesars introduces Progressive Pai Gow Jackpot
In May, Caesars Entertainment introduced a progressive jackpot for Pai Gow Poker that links 37 Fortune Pai Gow tables across their nine Las Vegas resorts. Casinos featuring the progressive jackpot include:
- Bally’s
- Caesars Palace
- The Cromwell
- Harrah’s
- Flamingo
- The Linq
- Paris Las Vegas
- Planet Hollywood
- Rio
This immediately became the largest network of tables in Las Vegas. The optional $5 side bet allows for jackpots to grow quickly, reach high-dollar amounts and payout often.
The Mega jackpot for Fortune Pai Gow hits with a seven-card straight flush, the Major jackpot is won with five aces, and the Minor jackpot is won with a royal flush.
The Mega Jackpot was won just over a month after being introduced. A Pai Gow player at Rio won a progressive jackpot of $1.4 million.
Caesars expands progressive jackpots to more games
Shortly after the Pai Gow progressive jackpot was hit, Caesars Entertainment expanded the progressive jackpots to other table games. There are now 245 table Blackjack and Poker derivatives (like Fortune Pai Gow) that offer linked progressive jackpots at Caesars Entertainment casinos in Las Vegas.
Between the new progressive jackpots and other side bets, Caesars Entertainment paid out at least eight millionaires in 2018.
Caesars Entertainment isn’t the only casino company offering linked table game jackpots. However, games at Boyd Gaming and Station Casinos properties only require a $1 wager. The lower limit wagers make their progressive jackpots smaller.
Not all side bets are the same
Traditional table game side bets always have a house edge for the casino. The edge is often large and doesn’t change.
The progressive side bets come with a rather large house edge that can be just below or above 10 percent. While the jackpot changes, so might the house edge.
The upside of progressive jackpots is that they can grow so quickly that they reach a break-even point and actually become a decent wager.
