Progressive Jackpots

[Don Howard]

Do they make you more excited about the vying for the grand prize or don't you give a damn?

[Jimmy Owen]

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' post=\'207224\' date=\'Jan 30 2009, 02:50 PM\']
Do they make you more excited about the vying for the grand prize or don't you give a damn?
[/quote]


My preference would be to play for the maximum top prize every time.  It seems a little unfair that someone can swoop in at the whim of a contestant coordinator and take the jackpot other people built up.

[Kevin Prather]

Progressive jackpots are also a little tougher on the prize budget than a fixed prize, since in essence, you're paying out the prize increment for every single contestant who plays.

[jmangin]

[quote name=\'Kevin Prather\' post=\'207226\' date=\'Jan 30 2009, 03:58 PM\']
Progressive jackpots are also a little tougher on the prize budget than a fixed prize, since in essence, you're paying out the prize increment for every single contestant who plays.
[/quote]
In most cases, yes, but there are also other ways to look at this issue. If the jackpot resets to the increment amount each time its won (as in Super Password), the budget amount is the same.  If 5 people win the Super Password jackpot over Mon-Tues-Wed-Thurs-Fri, they've given away $5k each time for a total of $25k. If the contestants miss Mon-Thurs and someone wins on Friday, they still give away $25k.  With that and the Ca$hword, each full round of Super Password essentially costs the production company $6,600-$7,000, depending on how many main round puzzles are played.

[Kevin Prather]

[quote name=\'jmangin\' post=\'207227\' date=\'Jan 30 2009, 01:18 PM\']
[quote name=\'Kevin Prather\' post=\'207226\' date=\'Jan 30 2009, 03:58 PM\']
Progressive jackpots are also a little tougher on the prize budget than a fixed prize, since in essence, you're paying out the prize increment for every single contestant who plays.
[/quote]
In most cases, yes, but there are also other ways to look at this issue. If the jackpot resets to the increment amount each time its won (as in Super Password), the budget amount is the same.  If 5 people win the Super Password jackpot over Mon-Tues-Wed-Thurs-Fri, they've given away $5k each time for a total of $25k. If the contestants miss Mon-Thurs and someone wins on Friday, they still give away $25k.  With that and the Ca$hword, each full round of Super Password essentially costs the production company $6,600-$7,000, depending on how many main round puzzles are played.
[/quote]
Proving nothing more than the fact that it makes the budget more predictable. You can do the progressive jackpot, in which case you pay the $5k for every round you play (In fact, you pay more than that, since non-winners get consolation money), or you can keep it at a set $5k, in which case you pay less than you otherwise would, since not everyone is going to win.

[parliboy]

With Super Password, though, that $25k win doesn't include the several hundred dollars per day paid out for unsuccessful attempts.  Compare to the progressives on shows like WordPlay or All Star Blitz.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Kevin Prather\' post=\'207228\' date=\'Jan 30 2009, 01:28 PM\']
Proving nothing more than the fact that it makes the budget more predictable.[/quote]
Exactly right, and I believe this was Jacob's point. (And, if you put a ceiling on the jackpot as SP did, you start saving money every time it doesn't pay out once it starts bumping up against the ceiling, but for the purposes of this discussion that isn't really relevant.)

That doesn't make it tougher on the budget; that makes it consistent. The budget is the budget. SP decided they could afford 25K in the end game per week. Now, they can either figure out how often their bonus game is won in a given week, divide 25K into that number, set their bonus prize amount accordingly, and pray the law of averages holds (and ask the TPiR MDS folks how well that works out), or they can set it up the way they did and know what the bill is gonna be every week.

I'm not a fan of progressives, but it's for aesthetic reasons. Financially it makes PERFECT sense to me.
[quote name=\'parliboy\' post=\'207229\' date=\'Jan 30 2009, 01:28 PM\']
With Super Password, though, that $25k win doesn't include the several hundred dollars per day paid out for unsuccessful attempts.  Compare to the progressives on shows like WordPlay or All Star Blitz.
[/quote]
But you'd be paying that out whether you used a progressive jackpot or not, so that pretty much washes, I'd think.

[Kevin Prather]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'207230\' date=\'Jan 30 2009, 01:39 PM\']That doesn't make it tougher on the budget; that makes it consistent. The budget is the budget. SP decided they could afford 25K in the end game per week. Now, they can either figure out how often their bonus game is won in a given week, divide 25K into that number, set their bonus prize amount accordingly, and pray the law of averages holds (and ask the TPiR MDS folks how well that works out), or they can set it up the way they did and know what the bill is gonna be every week.
[/quote]
Ok, I'll buy that.

[SRIV94]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'207230\' date=\'Jan 30 2009, 03:39 PM\']
(And, if you put a ceiling on the jackpot as SP did, you start saving money every time it doesn't pay out once it starts bumping up against the ceiling, but for the purposes of this discussion that isn't really relevant.)
[/quote]
Was there actually a ceiling on SP's jackpot?  I believe the highest won in one shot was $55,000, but I didn't think it was because of a ceiling (more like one smart person finally got in after 10 idjits played ).

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'207232\' date=\'Jan 30 2009, 01:51 PM\']
Was there actually a ceiling on SP's jackpot?  I believe the highest won in one shot was $55,000, but I didn't think it was because of a ceiling (more like one smart person finally got in after 10 idjits played ).[/quote]
Maybe there wasn't, if you can confirm a $55K hit. I was certain it topped out at $50K.

[rigsby]

There is at least one $55k SP win on YouTube presently.

EDIT: here's one.

EDITED AGAIN: here's the other.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'rigsby\' post=\'207235\' date=\'Jan 30 2009, 02:06 PM\']
There is at least one $55k SP win on YouTube presently.
EDIT: here's one.
EDITED AGAIN: here's the other.[/quote]
There you are then. My non-relevant aside is rendered even more non-relevant.

[CarShark]

What about the way Hot Potato did it, by having the jackpot progress only for returning champions? That removed the "swooping in" part, though the jackpot never grew that high.

[TimK2003]

[quote name=\'rigsby\' post=\'207235\' date=\'Jan 30 2009, 06:06 PM\']
There is at least one $55k SP win on YouTube presently.

EDIT: here's one.

EDITED AGAIN: here's the other.
[/quote]

Interesting co-winky-dink that both $55K wins were won on the same ten letters.

Wasn't it on the 80s version of Treasure Hunt that each day the big check wasn't won that it would go up by $1,000, but would still cap off at $50K?  

It seemed that Barris & Co. budgeteers didn't mind adding one G to the kitty each day the check was not won (it's far better than a potential $50K payout each day -- back to back wins @ $25K each), but why stop at $50K?

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'TimK2003\' post=\'207239\' date=\'Jan 30 2009, 07:33 PM\']
Wasn't it on the 80s version of Treasure Hunt that each day the big check wasn't won that it would go up by $1,000, but would still cap off at $50K?  
[/quote]
Yes.