So you’ve won a jackpot — now what?
The symbols line up, or the clinching card is flipped over. Bells go off. Lights flash. There’s a scream, and then you realize it’s you that is screaming.
“Holy cow! I hit a jackpot!”
You might start thinking about paying off bills or splurging for a big-ticket gift for yourself. Perhaps, depending on the size of your win, deciding to be generous with family and friends.
But before all of that happens, you’ll get a visit from some casino personnel since you will have a few items to sign. A tax form, for starters.
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If you win at Red Rock Casino, that visit could be from Ephrain Trillo, a guest service ambassador in the slots department.
“I explain to them that if they want to pay their taxes (on the winnings) at that time, they can,” he said.
While other casinos might have different set-ups, this is the Station Casinos procedure, according to its spokesperson.
When someone hits a jackpot, every GSA is notified on their devices.
The GSA assigned to that area goes up and offers congratulations; they are the first point of contact.
If the win is $5,000 or less, the GSAs are able to cash it themselves. They print out the W-2 form and get the money ready in cash or check form for the winner.
Here’s where it gets fun. For win totals:
— $5,000 or above, two people are involved.
— $25,000 or above, a manager has to be involved. The manager has to swipe a card.
— $50,000 or above, table games personnel has to be involved to check the jackpot to verify and sign.
— $100,000 or above, GSAs and other casino personnel have to do a machine check to ensure there is no malfunction.
“Everything depends on the amounts,” he said.
The customer must have an ID to confirm themselves and specify if they want cash or a check (checks are for $5,000 and above).
Sometimes, they will be asked if they want to be publicized, where they would sign a photo release form.
Trillo recalled one special win when he went to the winner on a Wheel of Fortune machine.
“This guest when she hit the jackpot, she started crying … happy tears,” he said. “She couldn’t stop crying, so she asked me to call her husband, which I did, and he came over and they were both so excited, so happy.
“That was a big, big jackpot, so I had to get (game manufacturer) IGT involved on that. So I comped them a dinner while they waited for IGT to come in. It was so exciting the way they were acting. … They were both so excited, so happy.”
Contact Tony Garcia at tgarcia@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307. Follow @TonyGLVNews on Twitter. Review-Journal multimedia journalist James Schaeffer contributed to this report.