Saracen Casino Pays Largest Slot Machine Jackpot in Arkansas Casino History

A casino patron won $924,562 from an Arkansas Casino on Tuesday, resetting the mark for the highest jackpot payout in the state’s history.

A guest from Hot Springs, Arkansas, claimed the enormous payout on a new Whitney Houston-themed slot machine at Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff. 

The slot machine, made by International Game Technology (IGT), was one of several that were installed in August. Saracen was one of the first casinos in the south to receive the new slot machine.

Making history

As mentioned, the near-million-dollar payout was larger than any slot machine jackpot in Arkansas’ history of legal casino gaming.

"Saracen was the first casino in Arkansas to install Wide Area Progressive slots, machines in which the jackpot grows alongside machines across the United States, including the Las Vegas Strip,” said Matt Harkness, General Manager of Saracen Casino. “Previous multi-state jackpots have been won at Saracen before, but this shatters all previous payouts.

“A jackpot of this magnitude, on a game as spectacular as Whitney Houston Slots, creates a uniquely memorable casino event and is a hallmark of an IGT wide-area progressive game," Harkness added.

Carlton Saffa, Saracen’s Chief Marketing Officer, said after the machines were installed that they would significantly increase the payouts for winning customers.

According to him, the largest jackpot reported in Arkansas had previously been $93,000, just about one-tenth of what was just one at Saracen. He cited a Wheel of Fortune-branded slot machine, which offered an average jackpot payout of $1.6 million.

Saracen also became the first Arkansas casino to link its gaming machines to those in other states.

The Supreme Court issues a ruling

While the lucky guest was busy winning the life-changing sum, the Arkansas Supreme Court on Monday dismissed part of a lawsuit aiming to nix a casino license in Pope County.

The divisive issue has been a hot topic in the Arkansas community. The court ultimately decided that claims of improper signature collection were baseless, while it is yet to provide a ruling on an issue related to the wording of the ballot initiative.

The lawsuit was levied by the Cherokee Nation, the recipient of the Pope County casino license, and the Arkansas Compliance Committee. They argued that the ballot measure would improperly overrule local voters’ 2018 decision to approve four casino sites.

“We still await the Court’s decision on the ballot title challenge,” said Allison Burum, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Canvassing Compliance Committee. “Issue 2 is misleading, and its sole purpose is to undo the will of Arkansas voters by eliminating the fourth casino license they approved in 2018.”

Casinos have already launched at three other locations in Pope County. The court throwing out the second claim would pave the way for the Cherokee Nation to open a casino at the fourth site.