Woman wins S$1.17 million slot machine jackpot at Marina Bay Sands casino
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A woman won over S$1.17 million after hitting the slot machine jackpot at the Marina Bay Sands casino on Sunday, Jan. 7.
This chance occurrence was witnessed by a fellow casino patron and reported by Shin Min Daily News.
The exact amount of winnings was S$1,175,425.82.
Woman screamed
The fellow punter, Zhang, a Sands Rewards Club member, said he was at the Ruby Lounge and was deciding on what games to place his bets when he heard a scream from behind him.
The 68-year-old said: "It turned out to be a woman standing in front of the slot machine who was screaming excitedly."
The woman appeared to be in her 40s.
She asked Zhang to verify that she had indeed won.
He saw the total prize amount displayed on top of the slot machine and confirmed with her that she had won.
"She heard from me that she won the top prize and started to jump and scream," he added.
It was her first time visiting the casino, he also said.
Assisted punter
Zhang then instructed her to remain at the spot as he went to inform the casino staff.
The woman then told Zhang to stay at the slot machine while she ran to tell her husband.
The couple returned within minutes to be instructed on how to collect the prize money.
The lucky punter gave Zhang a S$200 tip for being of help to her.
Odds of hitting jackpot very low
The odds of striking gold at the slot machine is very low.
Chua Tin Chiu, honorary fellow at the National University of Singapore's department of statistics and data science, explained to Shin Min that a five-reel slot with 30 symbols can generate over 24 million combinations.
Could the prize have been rigged?
News of the woman's win have given rise to speculationonline about whether the machine was rigged.
Some also pointed out the seeming coincidence between the win and the approaching Chinese New Year, which starts on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, and suggested that the news could be a "marketing gimmick".
Gaming machines in Singapore are regulated by the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA), which oversees matters such as the "return to player" — that is, the percentage of prizes that will be returned to players.
Singapore's Casino Control (Gaming Equipment) Regulations 2009 stipulate that the minimum return to player percentage of each gaming machine used in a casino shall be 90 per cent.
The GRA also oversees electronic gaming machines, such as by publishing a set of technical standards disallowing game machines which have components that may affect "the security, integrity or the game result (e.g. percent return) of the gaming machine".
Top photos via Shin Min Daily News
