Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is putting a signature $250,000 slot tournament on the 2027 calendar, with monthly competitions from January through October and a December grand final built around a $100,000 first prize.
The hotel announced the series Thursday. As the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported, casino vice president Jim Simms said in a release that the format "keeps the excitement building all year long, giving our guests more opportunities to play, compete and walk away with a life-changing win."
Ten Months, Then a December Final
Sessions are planned for every month from January through October 2027. The top 50 players from each month's sessions advance, and those monthly winners are set to meet in the grand finals in December 2027.
The hotel expects the tournament to bring 500 qualifiers to Las Vegas next year for a shot at the $100,000 grand prize, with the finale featuring up to 500 participants. Players who qualify more than once can compete in additional rounds and can earn as many as 10 entries into those finals. The announcement does not spell out session dates inside each month.
How Cherry Rewards Members Get In
Qualification runs through Cherry Rewards. Members can get in by earning 1,000 base points in a single day, 2,000 in a calendar week, or 5,000 in a calendar month. A slot jackpot of $2,000 or more also qualifies, as does VIP or All-Access tier status.
That points path sits on a loyalty program built for more than the casino floor. Cherry Rewards was described as letting members earn and redeem points on nearly every dollar spent at the resort, whether the bill is dining, the pool, retail or gaming.
What the December Payouts Look Like
In the December 2027 finals, the top 10 finishers are slated to win prizes. First place is $100,000. Second is slated for $50,000 in cash and free slot play, and third for $25,000 in cash and free slot play.
The announcement does not break out how much of second and third is cash versus free play, or what places four through 10 receive. It also does not explain how the advertised $250,000 total is calculated. The figures are what the hotel has slated, not a published rulebook.
A Smaller Virgin Tournament, and ARIA's Own Finale
Virgin has already tied slot play to Cherry Rewards in a smaller package. Gaming America described a launch weekend set for March 20–23, with no year given in that report, that was to include a $50,000 slot tournament for new and existing casino members. The top 50 players were to share $50,000 in free slot play, and the winner was set to receive $25,000 of it. That purse was free play, not the cash-and-play mix planned for the 2027 final.
Elsewhere on the Strip, ARIA has its own year-long slot ladder. The MGM Rewards Slot Series Finale is scheduled at ARIA for January 13–16, 2027, and that finale offers an up-to-$200,000 cash grand prize. Players earn Medallions each time they play a qualifying MGM Rewards slot event during the year.
For Cherry Rewards members, the nearer test is quieter than December 2027: hit a daily, weekly or monthly points mark, land a jackpot of at least $2,000, or hold VIP or All-Access status, and a monthly session between January and October is the route into a final that can hand one player as many as 10 cracks at first place.
