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Feb 09, 2014 An outdated three-reel slot machine is drawing in bigger crowds than a Celine Dion show at Las Vegas casino MGM Grand. The Lion's Share has failed to produce a single jackpot in almost 20 years. The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM Grand is the largest single hotel in the United States with 6,852 rooms. It is also the third-largest hotel complex in the world by number of rooms and second-largest hotel resort complex in the United States behind the combined The Venetian and The Palazzo.
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Introduction
Lion's Share was a three-reel progressive slot machine found at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Given how old the machine is, and the high rate of turnover in the gaming business, nobody seems to know for sure the history of the game. However, I think it can be said it is the oldest slot machine in the MGM and the jackpot has not been hit in many years. By today's standards, it is very out of date, with mechanical reels, blurry graphics, and any cash-out requiring a hand pay.
After the original publication of this article, the jackpot was hit on Aug. 24, 2014 for $2.4 million. The rest of this article is unchanged from it's original publication, before the jackpot was hit.
Here are some of the rumors about Lion's Share.
- It has been on the floor since the casino opening in 1993. — I'm not sure if it was there on day one, but based on the look of it, if it wasn't, it dates back to near the beginning.
- Whoever hits the jackpot will get to keep the machine. — I've never seen anything official that says this, but I don't doubt it. The machine is clunky and old and I think the MGM won't want it any more after it hits. The value of an old slot machine like Lion's Share is about $500 at best, so I don't see why the MGM would want to keep it.
- The MGM can't get rid of it until the progressive hits. — There is a lot of truth to this. Some player must win the accumulated money in the progressive, as it is considered player money. The Nevada Gaming Control Board wouldn't let the MGM just keep it. However, they would be allowed to let them move the money to another game, if their proposal of how to do it is accepted by Gaming.
- The jackpot has never been hit — I've heard both this and it was hit twice in the early years but never hit again. I don't know which is true. A change in the EPROM chip could make it more difficult to hit.
- The jackpot started at one million dollars — I can't confirm this either, but assume it to be true below.
Sometimes it is rumored in player circles the game may have a player advantage since the progressive has been growing for 20 years. That is where I come in. This page details my analysis of the game to determine how good of a bet it is.
Rules
The game is a $1 3-coin game. The following is the pay table.
Lion's Share Pay Table
| Win | 1 Coins | 2 Coins | 3 Coins |
| Three Lions — On Payline | $25,000 | $50,000 | Jackpot |
| Three Lions — Off Payline | $500 | $1,000 | $10,000 |
| Three sevens | $100 | $200 | $300 |
| Three 3-bar | $50 | $100 | $150 |
| Three 2-bar | $20 | $40 | $60 |
| Three 1-bar | $10 | $20 | $30 |
| Any three bar | $5 | $10 | $15 |
| Any two lions | $5 | $10 | $15 |
| Any one lion | $2 | $4 | $6 |
The lion is wild in any position on the reel. Three positions are visible.
As of May 28, 2014, the jackpot was at $2,378,882.
Analysis
Wizard Data Only
I started playing this game on Jan 14, 2014. Between my own play and 153 spins seen on YouTube videos I have recorded how often each reel lands on each symbol. The following table shows my results.
Lion's Share Reel Survey
| Symbol | Reel 1 | Reel 2 | Reel 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lion -- on payline | 15 | 10 | 10 |
| Lion -- off payline | 38 | 36 | 21 |
| Seven | 91 | 70 | 81 |
| 3-bar | 202 | 295 | 81 |
| 2-bar | 469 | 716 | 102 |
| 1-bar | 914 | 265 | 860 |
| Blank | 777 | 1,114 | 1,351 |
| Total | 2,506 | 2,506 | 2,506 |
Based on the pay table and observed results, the following table show the probability and return of each event. The return column is the product of the win, probability, and (1/3). The reason for dividing by 3 is the bet amount of $3. In other words, the return column is relative to a $3 bet.
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Lion's Share Return Table — Wizard Data Only
| Win | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three Lions -- On Payline | $2,378,882 | 0.0000000953 | 0.075579 |
| Three Lions -- Off Payline | $10,000 | 0.0000047070 | 0.015690 |
| Three sevens | $300 | 0.0001140740 | 0.011407 |
| Three 3-bar | $150 | 0.0006140249 | 0.030701 |
| Three 2-bar | $60 | 0.0033567039 | 0.067134 |
| Three 1-bar | $30 | 0.0170215402 | 0.170215 |
| Any three bar | $15 | 0.1267797886 | 0.633899 |
| Any two lions | $15 | 0.0003959927 | 0.001980 |
| Any one lion | $6 | 0.0367851279 | 0.073570 |
| Total | 0.1850720544 | 1.080176 | |
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So, based on this small sample size, the game returns 108.1% of money bet. With one or two coins bet, the return drops to 99.4%. Based on the small sample size, I would consider these results rough.
Wizard, AxiomOfChoice and SmokaLott Data Combined
On March 2, 2012, somebody named SmokaLott posted at Vegas Message Board that he played Lion's Share 10,000 times and got a lion on the center payline 33 times on reel 1, 42 on reel 2, and 34 on reel 3.
In early February, 2014, forum member AxiomOfChoice sent me his data on payline lions. In 1,896 spins he got the lion on the center payline 5 times on reel 1, 4 on reel 2, and 6 on reel 3. Looking at center payline lions only, here is the combined data.
Center Payline Lions
| Player | Reel 1 | Reel 2 | Reel 3 | Spins | Lions per 100 Spins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wiz | 15 | 10 | 10 | 2,506 | 1.40 |
| AxiomOfChoice | 5 | 4 | 6 | 1,896 | 0.79 |
| Smokalot | 33 | 42 | 34 | 10,000 | 1.09 |
| Total | 53 | 56 | 50 | 14,402 | 1.10 |
Combining this data, here is the center payline lion probability on each reel.
- Reel 1: 0.0036800
- Reel 2: 0.0038883
- Reel 3: 0.0034717
Assuming these probabilities, and otherwise using the data from my spins for the other symbols, the return table looks as follows.
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Lion's Share Return Table — Combined Data
| Win | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three Lions -- On Payline | $2,378,882 | 0.0000000525 | 0.041647 |
| Three Lions -- Off Payline | $10,000 | 0.0000041103 | 0.013701 |
| Three sevens | $300 | 0.0001090687 | 0.010907 |
| Three 3-bar | $150 | 0.0005989446 | 0.029947 |
| Three 2-bar | $60 | 0.0033113213 | 0.066226 |
| Three 1-bar | $30 | 0.0168744217 | 0.168744 |
| Any three bar | $15 | 0.1266965675 | 0.633483 |
| Any two lions | $15 | 0.0003578085 | 0.001789 |
| Any one lion | $6 | 0.0349819170 | 0.069964 |
| Total | 0.1829342121 | 1.036408 | |
The lower right cell shows a total return of 103.6%, based on three coins bet. With one or two coins bet the return drops to 98.4%.
Based on this combined data, the probability of hitting the jackpot is about 1 in 19.0 million. It is my understanding the jackpot started at one million dollars. If that is the case, and assuming everybody bets $3 at a time, the game would have been played about 60 million times. In this many spins, the expected number of jackpots is 2.9. The probability of never hitting a jackpot in 60 million spins is about 5.4%. I should remind my readers that each spin is independent, so the odds of hitting the jackpot are the same as it was for every other spin.
AxiomOfChoice is a good member on my forum, so I have no compunction about using his data.
As a scientific kind of guy, I hate to use data from somebody I've never heard of from a two-year-old forum post as the basis of my analysis of a game. However, The SmokaLot data looks reasonable to me, and his results are similar to the combined results of AxiomOfChoice and I.
I would like to return to gather more data, or hire somebody else to do it, but since a recent wave of publicity in the media it has been getting difficult getting on the machine. I would also hate to hog it for hours with a line waiting. For this reason, I am also publishing my results both ways, with my data only as well as the combined results of me, AxiomOfChoice, and SmokaLott.
Miscellaneous pieces of information about Lion's Share.
- Based on the 'combined data,' the probability shown of the jackpot equates to a probability of 1 in 19,040,226.
- The meter goes up by 0.75% of money bet.
- Based on an Internet post, the jackpot was at $2,229,097 on March 19, 2011. This suggests a rate of increase of $167 per day.
- For the lowest-level player, slot play earns free play and comps both at a rate of 0.33% of money bet.
More Photos
External Links
- Lion's Share official web site.
- Discussion of Lion's Share at my forum Wizard of Vegas.
- The legend and cult of the $2.345 million Lion's Share slot machine at MGM Grand — Article in the Las Vegas Sun
Written by: Michael Shackleford
Cash Cave Slot Machine
The Cash Cave slot game is made by by Ainsworth Gaming, who are getting their games into just about every casino in the US over the past year or two, including big Las Vegas casinos like the MGM Grand and Caesars Palace. This particular slot machine is probably the most commonly seen Ainsworth game, along with Rumble Rumble.
Cash Cave is a slot machine developed by Ainsworth Gaming that features 5 reels (a 5x3 slot) and 100 pay-lines. It is based on money and luxuries with dollar signs, gold bars, stashes of cash, dice and gemstones appearing on the reels and awarding high-value awards.
This game is bright and vibrant and full of nice touches - one particularly cute feature is the bear that throws the cash in the air upon hitting a decent win. During the bonus, that same bear will help you out with multiplers - he is a good bear!
The slot machine benefits from substitutes, free spins and the Cash Cave feature with multipliers increasing your winnings by up to 8x. The bear acts as Wild which appears on the reels 3, 4 and 5 during regular play while Scatter is depicted as the logo of the game and triggers the free spins feature.
By landing 3 or more Scatter anywhere on the reels, you will win 10 free spins during which Bear Wild lands on all the reels except for the first one. Whenever Bear Wild is included in a winning combo, your winnings will be subject to a multiplier between 2x and 8x, which depends on the symbols creating a win and a free spin it occurs on. Land 3 or more Cash Cave Scatters and you will trigger 5 Cash Cave free spins during which the same rules apply.
The top paying regular symbol is the dollar sign awarding 200 coins for a five of a kind combination, while five Scatters award 100x your total bet. The maximum possible win in the base game stands at 20,000 coins while during free spins and Cash Cave free games, you can win up to 160,000 coins in a single spin.
Bonus Round - free Spins
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When you hit the bonus round in Cash Cave slots, you are immediately greeted with a very reassuring bell sound. A classic 'you've hit the bonus' bell that already starts to get the excitement going, which is a good start.
As the free spins begin, music starts to play - a kind of funky, jazzy rock anthem, which adds to the feeling that something good is happening.
You will also notice that a lot more bear (wild) symbols appear on all the free spins, increasing you chance of a big win. This is pretty cool and makes it worth the wait which can be quite long.
Another thing you will see during the bonus is what looks like an extra reel appear. It's not an extra reel, but an indicator of the multipler being given to any winning lines with certain symbols. As the spins progress, the multipliers progress from 2x right up to 8x their normal value, so the chance of winning big increases with each spin.
This is the point where getting the extra 5 free spins is massive. Essentially, you get 5 free spins where every single hit is giving you 8x the normal win size. When you factor in the additional wild symbols, you can get some pretty tasty pay-outs on this feature.
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As far as Ainsworth slots go, Cash Cave is regarded as one of the better ones. This is probably why it is one of the more commonly seen ones in Vegas
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This Cash Cave slot machine game began to become popular in Las Vegas in 2016 and is available to play in most Las Vegas casinos. It can be found on the Las Vegas strip casinos, like the MGM Grand and Bally's Casino, downtown casinos like The Golden Nugget and off-strip casinos, like Palace Station and The Palms.
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A lot of fuss over nothing
Even though the Cash Cave slot is polished in many ways and can provide some good entertainment, it can get tiring after playing for 10 or 20 minutes. One reason for this is the over-celebration of micro wins.
If you get a win that involves the wild bear, no matter how small, you get a mini celebration where the bear throws cash into the air. This is fun to start with, but once you have seen this celebration for the hundredth time, when all you have won is 15 cents on a dollar spin, it begins to get tiresome.
This is quite a common feature with a lot of the Ainsworth games and is, perhaps, something they could look to improve. I might be wrong, but I just don't see anyone out there in the Vegas casinos truly celebrating small wins of 0.5x total bet. I can understand a bit of a celebration when you get 10x bet, but not 0.5x or less.