Megabucks jackpot $32 million and growing

Sunday, Jan. 16, 2000 | 9:55 a.m.

Megabucks fever is spreading now that the jackpot has reached $32 million and is still growing.

When someone lines up all three Megabucks emblems with a $3 bet, it will be the largest slot jackpot in history, surpassing a payout of $27.6 million won Nov. 15, 1998, by an anonymous Las Vegan at Palace Station.

The jackpot is linked via computers and phone lines through 715 machines in 157 casinos throughout the state. Since it began 12 years ago, there have been 48 Megabucks winners in Nevada.

In Las Vegas, Bellagio and MGM Grand have the most Megabucks machines, with 24 each.

Lalo Godoy, visiting from Orange County, Calif., already felt the odds were stacked against him Thursday as he furiously fed two Megabucks machines at Mandalay Bay.

"I'm never gonna make it," said the 66-year-old retiree, flashing a gold-toothed smile as another investment came up dry. "I lost all my money (on Wednesday), and if I play this machine for another hundred years, I will never make it."

The casino's eight Megabucks machines were experiencing a steady flow of curious customers late this week. It's been that way for several days, said Ed Rogich, vice president of marketing for International Game Technology, the manufacturer and operator of the Megabucks game.

Lines were out the doors of some casinos during New Year's weekend, when the previous record of $27.6 million was surpassed by the machines. "That was just our luck," said Rick Sorensen, a spokesman for IGT.

It's been 6 1/2 months since a 49-year-old Illinois man claimed the last Megabucks jackpot - a $21.3 million jackpot at Caesars Palace. Megabucks has been dry ever since.

"There's a perception on the part of a lot of players that it's due to hit. It's time," Sorensen said. On average, there are three jackpots a year, at an average payout of $7 million.

The lucky winner of the latest jackpot will be paid in installments for 20 years.