Anyone every hit it big on the on board slot machines?

[DMH15]

I'm probably living in a dream world, but wonder who has hit it big on the on board slot machines? Wonder what the highest paid jackpot has been???

 

I have posted this story on here before, but I will repeat it, because I always get a thrill out of it.

 

I went on my first cruise on the Norway in 1986. I had budgeted so much for gambling, and broke it down over 7 nights, putting money in individual envelopes which I dated.

 

I went up to a quarter machine on the first night and it was one of those that you would get double the payoff for 2 quarters, triple for three quarters, and so on.... there was no penalty for not playing the maximum, like you see so often today.

 

I put a roll of quarters in a bucket, (this was before the paper cash in - cash out system). I played some, putting in a quarter or two a pull, and started winning. I had a bunch of quarters in my bucket.

 

This guy walked up and asked me why I wasn't playing the maximum. I replied that it was just the first night and I was conservative with my money. He suggested that we "play partners", that he would throw in a few rolls of quarters and go for the maximum. I said "sure". I figured I was already way ahead from my initial investment of $10.00, that I had probably tripled it by then. We continued to win and then I saw my new friend up at the cashier's cage. He returned and started playing the dollar machine behind me. I said "what's up?" and he said he was reinvesting some of our winnings. I still had a bunch of quarters so I just said "cool".

 

A while later he asked me if I thought it was time to cash in and I said okay. When we cashed out my half of the pot was $350.00. Not bad in terms of a $10 investment and not bad considering it was 1986!

 

From that point on I played that dollar machine and I won every single night. I made enough of a profit over the course of the week to pay for my cruise (which was around $900 and included airfare) and all of the extras (excursions, tips, etc.).

 

What is really bizarre, is that I never saw that guy again.

 

This is a true story.

Edited October 4, 2010 by DMH15

[time2cruise1]

Probably a silly question but I assume that if you win 20 grand out at sea you don't have to pay any taxes on that?

 

You sure will pay - NCL will produce the 1099. I found that out in 2003 when I won $5000 at bingo.

Edited October 4, 2010 by time2cruise1

[newmexicoNita]

You sure will pay - NCL will produce the 1099. I found that out in 2003 when I won $5000 at bingo.

 

man I would love to get one of those 1099.

[Silvermist]

You sure will pay - NCL will produce the 1099. I found that out in 2003 when I won $5000 at bingo.

 

Wonder what they do if you don't pay American taxes? Canadian residents don't pay taxes on windfalls. :confused: Here's hoping I'll find out!! ;)

[leslierx]

Our friends hit a jackpot on RCI Enchantment of The Seas - not sure of the exact amount, but they had enought money left to buy a big screen tv when they got home with it!

[ImWifey]

I traveled on the Carnival Imagination back in June of 2006 and my sister in law's boyfriend snuck off to the casino one night by himself and played the quarter machine and won. He played $2.50 and won almost $2500. He declined to have his picture taken by the cruise line in fear that someone would see his picture and try to rob him during the cruise :eek:. He kept the ticket and didn't cash out until the end of the cruise. Needless to say everyone else immediately ran to the casino but no such luck for the rest of us.

[Springwater21]

Wonder what they do if you don't pay American taxes? Canadian residents don't pay taxes on windfalls. :confused: Here's hoping I'll find out!! ;)

they still take the taxes, and then you have to hire someone to get it back.(a tax firm-have seen the ads on tv for them) I don't see how they can give a 1099, when the ships are flagged as foreign and not out of US ports. The tv program about NCL-just saw it again the other day, says since they are flagged for convenience out of foreign ports they pay no US taxes and don't have to abide by employment rules and wages for the US..makes ya wonder!!:rolleyes:

Dona

[rkaplan]

We were on Royal Carribean and I hit the slots to the tune of $2500.00. I hit the cash out key and it paid for our cruise plus some. :)

[islandgirlejfan]

We about paid for the first cruise we ever went on.....I won $500 at slots on the first cruise we ever took which was the now defunct American Family Cruises. My husband, myself and the kids played bingo and my hubby's card won $500. They asked that you fill out a comment card upon disembarkation. I didn't notice that at the bottom it said *chance to win $100OBC if card was selected*. We were sitting with the kids waiting for our color to be called when I heard my name across the loud speaker to come to the main desk. Thinking that something was wrong with our onboard account, I left my hubby with the kids and walked to the desk only to find out that I had won the $100 OBC.

 

I wasn't really happy with any of the NCL cruises in the casino....playing $20 and winning .50 doesn't make me want to play so when we use our cruise credit, I have no plans to play. It's just not fun to put the money in and get nothing in return every so often. Maybe NCL thinks so, but if people aren't staying in the casino, I can't see where it's helping to pay the bills...their slots are way too tight!

 

DMH15.....I can sort of relate to your experience....I went in to a convenience store year's ago to get a bottle of water. While I was standing in line, there was a gentleman standing in the lottery line who was buying the nightly draw tickets. He was a worker at the diner next door. We struck up a conversation and I just said laughingly, *oh I don't play much....I never seem to win*....he laughed and said, *you look like a nice girl* and I said *I like to think I am* and he said *well, the number 458 is going to win this week* with a very serious tone. I don't know what made me believe him, but I went out to the car where my hubby was sitting with the kids, grabbed my last $2 and played the number.....and WON! The next day, I stopped at the diner because I wanted to thank him. I had no name but was able to give them a description of him only to find out no one there fit the description I gave them.

 

The money came in handy.....I directed the before and after care at the school so when school was closed, I didn't get paid. It came in handy over the summer. :)

[DocJohnB]

On our transatlantic cruise last year on Celebrity's Century our tablemate hit it big on the last night to the tune of $5,000+.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=22318385&postcount=1841

[MissRabbit]

our Roll Call is doing a slot pull on our cruise in a few weeks. Since one person has to be responsible for the 1099, would you suggest it be less of a headache for a US citizen to be the one responsible or for a Canadian citizen (me)? I'm hosting that particular activity but if we are lucky (yeah right), i don't want it to be a PITA because of my citizenship.

 

Oh and at what $$$ value do they start charging taxes?

Edited October 4, 2010 by MissRabbit

[spacewoman]

In New York State anything over $600 is reported on a 1099-G, or should I say we lottery agents can only pay to $600 then you have to go to a lottery office for anything above that.

 

At our recent slot pull on the Jewel, Pat asked if there were any Europeans doing the pull with us. She said they don't have to pay taxes on it.

 

I'm in total agreement that you are in international waters so why are you paying taxes on winnings? Which then brings the question of, if you're forcing taxes to be paid on winnings, why are you not allowing ships to immediately open their casinos in U.S. waters????

 

For NCL being tight, my DH walked away about a grand to the good on the Jewel. I lost about $40 but was breaking even until the last night. DH and his friend weren't feeling any pain when they waltz into the casino (last night). DH puts $100 in the Wheel of Fortune machine, pulls the darn thing twice and hits $250!!!! Drunker than a skunk and he hits, while I was hitting the buttons all week saying pay out, pay out. Go figure.

 

I heard that some guy sat down at the Wheel of Fortune machine we used for our slot pull a few days later and on his very last quarter (he only bet one credit) he hit the jackpot. Since he didn't play max bet he got $2,500 instead of $20,000. But, like I said, I HEARD it, I didn't witness it.

 

I think it just comes down to whether or not it's your lucky day.

Edited October 4, 2010 by spacewoman

[preciousjulz105]

I hit $358 on the quarter machine on the Jewel in March of 2009. Immediately cashed it out and the next morning booked my next cruise, which I'm going on in November! :D

[LouCap]

A few weeks ago I won a $229 jackpot on a nickel slot aboard the Sky. Prior to that, I won a $1200 jackpot on a Carnival cruise a few years ago. So it does happen once in a while.

[beetlebomb]

Wonder what they do if you don't pay American taxes? Canadian residents don't pay taxes on windfalls. :confused: Here's hoping I'll find out!! ;)

You will have to pay the tax and then fill out a form to have the money returned to you. No different than if you won big in Las Vegas

[USNUZULOOSE]

Me and my DH was on a carnival in dec 09 and my husband came back into the art auction and said a man hit a 98 thousand dollar jackpot. Sure enough I saw the macine HOLY COW!! He had to have someone come aboard and verify the machine. Then someone right behind him I think it was 10 thousand. That was an awesome cruise for a few people. Jo

[DMorris]

I'm probably living in a dream world, but wonder who has hit it big on the on board slot machines? Wonder what the highest paid jackpot has been???

 

In 2008 I hit $400 then $1600 on the $1 Wheel of Fortune... was great. My trip was paid for by the cruise line for that cruise :D

[TheYearofMe]

I've hit 1000 on the wheel of fortune spin round and I think that was on the Spirit. Most recently, I hit for 2500 on two machines on the Jewel. One was the Tiki Torch machine by the bar if you want to try your luck.

[Bocadude85]

I won $630 on a .10 machine on the Star in 2009

[itzmered]

I went to the show the 1st night and they were handing out raffle tickets for a drawing later in the evening. At the drawing my ticket was the 1st one drawn. I won $20 in free slot play at the casino among other things. I took the $20 and was playing a 2 cent machine :p and walked out of there with $457! Best raffle ticket I have ever had :D

[DMH15]

I went to the show the 1st night and they were handing out raffle tickets for a drawing later in the evening. At the drawing my ticket was the 1st one drawn. I won $20 in free slot play at the casino among other things. I took the $20 and was playing a 2 cent machine :p and walked out of there with $457! Best raffle ticket I have ever had :D

 

Wow! Talk about a parlay - you won twice!!!

[frangig]

Hubby won 9,000 on a $1 poker machine! It was the last night on the Dawn August 2006!

Edited October 5, 2010 by frangig

[mitsugirly]

I do have to admit, I always seem to be lucky with slot machines no matter where I go.

 

The first time I ever played a slot machine was my first cruise (back when they used actual quarters). My husband wouldn't get out of bed IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY, so I decided to grab $10 and hit the slots to kill some time. I put my quarters in and on my last pull, I hit for $600. It emptied out the quarters in the machine and then the cruise attendant had to pay me the rest in cash.

 

Next time I played in Canada, found the game Hot Shots <---my favorite, and went there daily with only $20 in my pocket and hit everyday for between $150-500.

 

This last cruise, I put $4 in one .01 machine and hit for $68 and the hubby put $10 in another and hit for $74 (I know not much but was a great investment) and we went to another and hit the jp on it. We cashed all of them in and headed down to the jewelry store and bought my hubby the black diamond ring he had been eyeballing since the first day of the cruise.

 

They are building a casino (the first in our state) and will be finished either next year or the year after...all I can say is...watch out! :)

[grneyedldy]

HI,

In 2006 I won a slot tournament aboard CARNIVAL IMAGINATION.

It was great. I won $200.00 plus a slot tournament t-shirt.

Also that time I hit BINGO twice for a total of about $250.00.

I had a great time and some extra cash to spend in Cozumel.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[chloemonkey]

I saw a guy on the NCL Majesty (June 2009) who, while waiting for a Texas Hold-Em tournament to begin, put $20 into a slot machine and with one pull, won $1,000. It was one of the most amazing gambling stunts I've ever witnessed.

 

Wow....I guess that it is all "relative" as I usually put $1000 in over the course of an hour or two......in hopes of winning a Royal Flush or 4 Aces in Video Poker!

 

But I would still play at the same levels and seeing as how CAS gave us a decent discount for our next/upcoming cruise for our "efforts/play" and that I also just received a discount voucher for $4000 from RCI for any cruise that we take in the next year, it is all good!

 

As many have posted before - it is NOT worth chasing the discounts BUt for those of us who will play at these levels regardless, the future cruise discounts are a nice "perk!!"

 

And my family recently won over $15,000 on RCI (one of us over $10,000!) and NONE of us was issued a 1099! Makes the wins even SWEETER not to have to report the income? As some lines issue just like Vegas....anything over $1200.....so although I was NOT that happy with the RCI casino staff, I DID like the fact of NO 1099's!

 

We will definetely put it back on our next cruise.....but again, for those of us that frequent the casino EVERY night, the perks DO make you feel just a wee bit better about the spending!