Origin of the Jackpot

At Grand Duke Casino, we offer all kinds of jackpots. There are jackpots for Video Poker, Slots, and certain table games. Our biggest online jackpot is a progressive that increases constantly, and the total value of our combined jackpots is featured prominently on our homepage.

But why are these big sums referred to by this odd word? Where can we find jackpot origins? For the answer, we need to look back to the 19th century and the development of Poker.

The first written mention of “jackpot” came in 1879, when an Indiana court recorded the testimony of a gambler. He explained that the money played for in a Poker game is known as a “pot.” In the version known as Jacks or Better, he said, it’s called a “jackpot” because “the man who holds Jacks can require the others to bet him or to drop out.”

By 1881, the term “jackpot” was added to American dictionaries. Over the next few decades, the phase “hit the jackpot” came into vogue for any highly successful win, especially if unexpected.  It also became associated with the top prize offered by lotteries and slot machines.

So the mystery of jackpot origins is solved, but are the jackpots that can be won on the Internet comparable to those that are offered offline? What is the biggest online jackpot ever won? How does it compare to the biggest win ever?

The biggest jackpot in history came in March 2003, when a 25-year-old Los Angeles software engineer won an incredible $39.7 million playing “Megabucks” in Las Vegas. He is still receiving his reward today in $1.5 million annual increments.

By comparison, the biggest online jackpot to date came in May 2007. A blacksmith who had never flown in an airplane hit the jackpot on Cryptologic’s progressive “Millionaires Club” slot. His prize was worth $8.01 million, plus a free flight to London to receive his check.