A man at an Atlantic City casino resort who said he had never gambled before hit it big moments after he placed his first wager.
A press statement from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City stated that on June 26, a fortunate bettor made their way to the Boardwalk property. After his enormous win, the man—who preferred to stay anonymous—told the employees that he had never been inside a casino before that day.
After inserting $100 into a Wheel of Fortune slot machine, he claims that when one of his last $10 spins scored the progressive jackpot, he was down roughly $90. The amount awarded was $1,593,457.33, or almost $1.6 million.
"We weren’t voted the luckiest casino for nothing,” Hard Rock Atlantic City said in a press release and on its social media channels. “Congratulations to the winner of the life-changing $1.5 million jackpot. This guest was playing with a $10 bet and $1 denomination.”
According to Tripadvisor customer reviews, Hard Rock was crowned the luckiest casino in New Jersey in February.
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There are 2,425 slot machines and 130 table games with live dealers at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. According to game maker IGT, the Wheel of Fortune slot machine where the anonymous player won the nearly $1.6 million progressive prize would be paid out over a 20-year annuity.
The Wheel jackpot is one of the top five slot machine winnings in Hard Rock Atlantic City history. Last month, the casino commemorated its sixth year of operation.
According to IGT, the most played slot machines in the US commercial and tribal gaming sectors are their Wheel games. IGT claims that since launching the branded slots based on the well-liked syndicated game show in 1996, Wheel jackpots have produced 1,180 millionaires.
Over $3.5 billion in jackpot prizes have been awarded by the Wheel slots, and every 72 hours on average, someone wins a prize of at least $100,000.
Novice's Fortune
Millions of regular casino goers who have never hit a slot machine jackpot anywhere close to the $1.59 million that the fortunate Hard Rock player won are envious.
The phrase "beginner's luck" describes the notion of a novice engaging in a sport, game, or activity for the first time and experiencing improbable success; it has no known origin. The phrase is commonly associated with skill-based activities like sports, but it can also refer to chance-based activities like slot machine gaming.
Another theory holds that "confirmation bias," a psychological condition where people are more likely to predict events based on their own experiences, can occasionally be the cause of beginner's luck. A newcomer to a casino may have a higher chance of hitting the big prize if they have never suffered repeated losses or realized how hard and unlikely it is to win one.
Whether it was confirmation bias, inexperience, or something else entirely, the Hard Rock guest would do well to try the Wheel again later.