Jackpot

In pinball, any large point award, originally one you need to make a difficult shot to
collect. Modern pinball games have suffered from jackpot inflation in the same way as
they have score inflation, so that any award during a multiball may be called a
jackpot, and the really good awards are double or triple or super jackpots.

Jackpot 1. (a) See "jack pot" under jack; (b) any larger-than-usual gambling prize formed by the accumulation of unwon bets[=MW10 1(a)(2) and 1(c)]; (c) the highest gambling prize awarded in a gambling game in which smaller prizes are also awarded, especially such a prize on a slot machine. 2. (a) An unusually large success in an enterprise, either unexpected or unpredictable, esp. one providing a great financial benefit. hit the jackpotto receive an unexpectedly large (or the largest possible) benefit from an enterprise. -->

© Webster 1913.