A Kansas woman is the latest person to become a million through slots, netting a $1.5 million jackpot.
Doreen Reid is the lucky winner, and she scored the jackpot on October 23rd at the Gold Eagle Casino in Battleford, Canada. Her prize occurred through Smoke Signals, which is a wide-area progressive slot machine that’s linked to 52 other slots in First Nations’ tribal casinos.
Zane Hansen, president of the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA), which oversees Gold Eagle Casino, was happy that the Kansas native won at one of his establishments.
“On behalf of the Board and employees of SIGA and the Gold Eagle Casino, we would like to formally congratulate Doreen Reid and welcome her to SIGA’s Millionaires’ Club,” said Hansen.
Reid is the third player to become a millionaire through Smoke Signals this year. Other big winners include: Ben Vuong, who won $1.2 million at the beginning of 2016, and Paul Smith, a Canadian bus driver who netted $1.3 million.
Smoke Signals is certainly no Megabucks, but it’s impressive in its own right. Seeded at $1 million jackpot, Smoke Signals’ jackpot can grow as high as $2 million before it’s hit. The jackpot was halfway to the largest amount when Reid won a $1.5 million payout.
Reid played Smoke Signals for a while until hitting the life-changing payout. And now, she’ll have another $1.5 million (minus taxes) for retirement.
As for the Gold Eagle Casino, Canada’s First Nations Gaming Act paved the way for tribal gaming in 1995. Since then, SIGA was established to help oversee the local gaming industry and “develop guidelines and regulations for the further definition of any provision of the Act.”
Gold Eagle is one of eight casinos under SIGA’s jurisdiction, including two commercial (non-tribal) casinos. Other local casinos include: Bear Claw Casino and Hotel, Dakota Dunes Casino, Gold Eagle Casino, Living Sky Casino & Sky Centre, Northern Lights Casino, and the Painted Hand Casino.