'That results in these higher jackpots and periodically big hits,' said Gary Bitner, a spokesman for the tribe.ĭetzler's luck came on Sunday afternoon, after a morning of gambling turned his $60 into roughly $8,000, he said. Progressive slot machines share jackpots among casinos on reservations across the United States. The Legislature still needs to approve the deal, after which it would go to federal officials.ĭetzler was playing one of the Class III games, a popular progressive slot machine based on the game show Wheel of Fortune.

Charlie Crist signed a proposal Monday afternoon.

Monday was the deadline for a new gambling agreement between the tribe and governor, one that would exchange revenue sharing from the tribe for the right to offer otherwise exclusive games, such as Vegas-style slots and banked card games like blackjack. He already had endured a long interview with the company that operates the slot machine (they also broke it down to make sure it worked properly) and had been asked how he wanted the winnings distributed. That's when the 59-year-old furniture refinisher from Bonita Springs won the state's largest slots jackpot ever - $3.5 million off a progressive machine at Seminole Casino Immokalee.īy Monday, it had become more believable, moreso than the oversized check that casino management handed to the quiet Detzler on the casino floor. For a quiet man playing slots in the corner of a casino, Christopher Detzler made a lot of noise Sunday.

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