Lion’s Share gathered a fan following on Facebook and elsewhere on the Internet long before the jackpot hit. “It’s our obligation to pay that back to our customers,” Andrews said Saturday, adding that people lined up single-file everyday by the dozens to play. Under gaming regulations, the casino could have shifted the progressive jackpot to different machines, but the resort was not allowed to keep the accumulated jackpot. “I’m surprised it held together that long,” said one nearby executive.Ī portion of the money played in the machine has been accumulating in the jackpot pool since the custom machines were introduced in 1990, explained Justin Andrews, executive director of slot operations for MGM Grand. The resort has been cannibalizing old machines to keep the last Lion’s Share working for years. The machine predates modern ticket-in-ticket-out systems.

The resort took out 49 other similar machines 15 years ago, but they had to leave that one Lion’s Share on the casino floor. The legend of the Lion’s Share slot machine at the MGM Grand is at an end.Īfter years of hoarding its progressive jackpot and gaining international notoriety, the resort’s last three-reel slot is facing retirement after finally paying out $2.4 million Friday night. (Courtesy Craig McCool, MGM Resorts International)