VIDEO: Vegas Airport Passenger Joneses for Slot Spin

Posted on: May 15, 2024, 10:28h. 

Last updated on: May 15, 2024, 10:37h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Restaurants, Las Vegas Myths.

In the past year, two gamblers have hit million-dollar slot jackpots at the airport in Las Vegas. Judging from the urgency displayed by one airline passenger in a social media video, he thought he would be the third.

A still from a viral video showing a man rushing toward a slot machine at Harry Reid International Airport. (Image: Twitter/X)

In the video, which went viral on Snapchat and X/Twitter on Tuesday, the unidentified man is shown rushing toward a machine at the end of a bank of slots, then dropping his bag, plopping himself onto a stool, and feverishly retrieving cash or a voucher from his wallet.

The video provides no context as to whether the man has just landed in Las Vegas, or if he had been waiting to depart it when an airline delay suddenly afforded him some extra machine time.

Hundreds of comments flooded the video, posted to X/Twitter by @weirddalle. They were pretty much evenly split between praising the man for his “dedication” and concern over what they perceived as an obvious gambling addiction.

“I can win it back!! I have a system!!!” commented @mfwic76.

“Must be a good set up for an advantage play,” wrote @pkrprncss.

“Never seen someone so eager to throw away their money,” added @DonYee46945786.

“Not addicted to gambling or anything,” noted @TheShowOnX.

“He dreamt about this moment for months. Let him have his fun,” interjected @theminigad.

By far, this was the most entertaining comment…

“He ran to that slot machine like I run to the toilet after Chipotle,” @Yaboy_hardmike wrote.

Check out the video yourself. 

As to whether the man got to realize his dream of winning big, which a few commenters wondered, the answer is a guaranteed no. All extremely rare million-dollar jackpots are announced by press releases from Las Vegas gaming operators.

Such was the case in July 2023, when Harry Reid announced that one of its visitors won $1,286,325 on a Wheel of Fortune Triple Hot 777 slot in Terminal 3, and a month earlier, when another won more than $1.3 million on a Wheel of Fortune Triple Double Emeralds machine in the Terminal 1 Esplanade.

McCarran International Las Vegas airport
Slot machines at Harry Reid International. (Image: iStock Photo)

$1B In Revenue

Over 36 years, the slots at Harry Reid (previously named McCarran International Airport) have generated more than $1 billion in revenue, according to Michael Gaughan’s Airport Slot Concession. The Las Vegas-based firm operates the slots at the busy airport.

The airport slots generate about $39.8 million in gross revenue each year. That leads to about $34.4 million in average revenue for the airport.

In total, there are 1,430 slot machines at Harry Reid Airport. The slot play helps to offset airport costs.