Nov. 18—A Taos County woman gambled on a prominently lit slot machine Saturday at Ohkay Hotel Casino.
She played the popular “Buffalo Wild Extreme” machine, perhaps not hoping for much from the game of chance. As the machine’s lights flashed and numbers shifted, she put down a meager $3.75.
Then — unexpectedly, emphatically and after about a minute had passed — the slot machine indicated the Taos County woman was a grand jackpot winner.
The stunning dollar amount associated with the jackpot? More than a million.
“Great luck,” said Peter Trujillo, Ohkay Hotel Casino’s marketing director, narrating the way the scene played out. “She was destined to do it.”
Overnight, the woman became the newest millionaire in the state after she struck a “Wide Area Progressive” jackpot worth an “astounding” $1,032,690, according to a news release from the casino at Ohkay Owingeh pueblo.
Trujillo called the situation “rare.” An employee of Ohkay Hotel Casino for almost 18 years, he could only recall one other instance in which so much money had been won at a local casino. That was back in the 1990s at Cities of Gold Casino in Pojoaque Pueblo.
“The young lady, she was ecstatic. She was in shock, super thrilled,” Trujillo said. “I think she was still in disbelief, honestly.”
He noted he could not divulge the woman’s name due to “privacy reasons.”
The Buffalo Wild Extreme slot machine is made by Aristocrat Gaming, among the largest manufacturers of slot machines in the world and headquartered in Australia. The payout for the Saturday night win will be handled by Aristocrat Gaming, not the casino, Trujillo said.
Chelsea Eugenio, a spokesperson for the game’s manufacturer, confirmed the $1.03 million at Ohkay Hotel Casino in an email.
“The game, Buffalo Diamond Extreme, is part of a linked progressive (jackpot) network that is paid out by Aristocrat Gaming. This link in particular is connected to other tribal casinos nationwide, opening more opportunities for jackpot wins,” Eugenio wrote.
The Buffalo Diamond Extreme machines are mainstays for gambling enthusiasts, with an online map on the Aristocrat Gaming website showing at least 20 gambling establishments that carry the slot machine in Las Vegas, Nev., alone. Sandia Resort & Casino also carries the game, according to the map.
“BUFFALO BLING JUST GOT REAL,” reads a description on the Aristocrat Gaming website for the slot machine.
It continues, “More jumbo play screen, more progressive free games with an Extreme Wheel, better odds with Max Bet, and more game play charge than a herd in a hurry. It’s the next natural choice for the ultimate thrill-seeker.”
Though Northern New Mexico may be home to many casinos, it’s not every day a gambler claims such a prodigious payout from a slot machine. In mild terms, it was a lucrative 60 seconds for the Taos County woman.
Trujillo said Ohkay Hotel Casino has seen other jackpots in the $20,000 to $40,000 range.
“It’s all luck,” he said. “Right place, right time.”
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