Biggest Casino Jackpot
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Most of the top jackpots are €400,000 or €470,000,but the largest slot machine jackpot in the last ten years was won last Saturday 7 May, 2018. A mega jackpot of €958,950 was awarded to a regular player at the casino and a member of the “My Monte-Carlo” frequent player program. 21 million and $4.6 million dollars. It’s hard to fathom winning millions of dollars in a Las Vegas slot.
Slot machines are relatively easy to understand and play. You drop the coin (or insert your player card) and pull the lever or press the button. The reels start spinning on a screen.
Once the reels stop, you’re hoping that you have a winning combo and finally have the nest egg, new car, or house you’ve always dreamed of. This is not the likely outcome of playing a slot machine. Slots (like penny slot machines specifically) are the biggest moneymakers for American casinos.
Most players would be surprised by how much they spend to win even a small payout. The odds are not in your favor. A slot machine is not usually a financially sound way to spend your money.
But you can win, and some gamblers have won big. Slot machine payouts are some of the largest out of any other game in casinos.
I’m going to talk about the biggest slot machine winners. I’m sharing with you the 10 biggest casino jackpot winners of all time.
1 – $39,710,826.36
A 25-year-old software engineer who chose to remain anonymous won nearly $40 million on a progressive slot machine at the Excalibur Casino in Las Vegas.
This win happened in 2003 and remains the most significant slot jackpot of all time. I don’t know if I could be trusted with that much money at 25, could you?
The anonymous gambler used $100 on the Megabucks slot machines. Talk about return on investment.
2 – $34,959,458.56
In January of 2000, Cynthia Jay Brennan, a cocktail waitress, had her most important day of her career. Cynthia, 37 at the time of the win, played a Megabucks machine at the Desert Inn.
The Wynn Las Vegas is the former location of the Desert Inn. Unfortunately, Ms. Brennan was in a tragic car accident six weeks later when she was hit by a drunk driver. She was left paralyzed, and her sister’s life was taken in the accident.
3 – $27,580,879.60
A retired flight attendant entered the Palace Station Casino on November 15th, 1998, with the intent of only playing $100 on slots. She blew her budget as we tend to do when real money gambling.
She ended up betting $300, and she’s glad she did. The anonymous woman is currently the record holder for the third largest jackpot winner.
Biggest Casino Jackpot
The flight attendant won almost 28 million on a Megabucks machine. I guess sometimes tripling your bankroll pays off. It paid off big for this lucky player.
4 – $22,621,229.74
Rise and shine! That’s what Johanna Heundl did on May 27th, 2002, when she won the fourth biggest slots machine jackpot of all time.
The California resident casually decided to play a, you guessed it, Megabucks machine. She was on her way to breakfast.
Johanna looked away from the machine for a moment. When she looked back at the slot machine, she had to check her vision. She won nearly $23 million.
What a great way to start the day, wouldn’t you agree? I would’ve bought breakfast for the whole restaurant, wouldn’t you?
Biggest Online Casino Jackpots
5 – $21,346,952.22
On June 1st, 1999, an unnamed business consultant put a $10 bill in a Megabucks slots machine. He had no idea that his life was about change.
The Illinois resident proceeded to win $21.3 million on the machine at Caesar’s Palace in Vegas. I wonder if he’s still consulting?
The 49-year-old has chosen to remain anonymous to this day. I probably would, too.
6 – $21,147,947.00
How would you feel about winning not just one multimillion payout, but two? In a span of 20 years?
Dreams do come true. Elmer Sherwin won $4.6 million in 1989 at the Mirage. Almost 20 years later, the Vegas regular won $21.1 million on a Megabucks machine at the Cannery Casino Hotel in Las Vegas.
The luckiest man alive won his second jackpot at the young age of 92. It’s too bad you can’t take money with you to the grave. Elmer passed away two years later at 94.
This story gives a new meaning to golden years.
7 – $17,329,817.80
Any casino regular is familiar with the freebies you’re given. There’s the $20 credit to play on slots. Maybe you’ll get the dinner voucher. You might even get a discount on your hotel room.
They’re great, but do you really take any of those seriously? I probably have 10 buffet vouchers in my junk drawer as I write this post.
Well, maybe we shouldn’t treat these freebies with such abandon. A Las Vegas woman went to the M Resort in Henderson, NV, to use her free play credit with the casino and use up some food vouchers.
She was on her way to use the food vouchers for dinner with a friend. She had no idea her life was about to change. The woman inserted the credits into a Megabucks machine and won. She didn’t just win a measly $400, she won nearly $18 million.
In December of 2012, this anonymous gambler’s holiday wishes came early. The lesson here is to use those free credits! You might not win, but what is there to lose? Maybe a multimillion-dollar jackpot?
8 – $17,329,817.80
A Las Vegas casino regular, known the Rampart Lucky Local, played a $20 bill in a Megabucks machine at the Rampart Casino. You know exactly what happens next—he won a multimillion jackpot.
The man had much bigger dreams than using the money for his own needs and wants. He made a substantial donation to his local church.
The donation allowed the fledgling church to build their own church. At the time, the young church was hosting their services out of a local high school’s gym.
The world might be just a smidgen better if more of us were this generous.
9 – $12,769,933.00
What happens when you’re visiting your niece and she happens to live in Vegas? You go play the $6 in your pocket at the Aria Casino and Resort, obviously.
What might not happen to all people in this situation is winning almost $13 million.
This is what on January 21st, 2011. An unnamed woman was:
- Visiting her niece in Las Vegas
- She had $6 in cash
- She played a Megabucks machine at the Aria Casino and Resort
- She won $12.7 million
The outcome of this was for one woman. Her life was forever changed. That’s the kind of out-of-town trip I’m talking about!
Ironically, there was another major jackpot on a Megabucks machine four months later. I bet the Aria was double-checking the odds on their machines.
10 – $12,510,549.90
Big Apple dreams came true for a Vegas local on April 14th, 1997. Suzanne Henley stopped into the New York-New York Casino one night on her way home from work.
She had a hunch that the casino was overdue for a massive payout on the Megabucks slot machines. I swear, you should always trust your gut. It’s rarely wrong.
Suzanne played $100 on the Megabucks machine that was suspected to be a winner. And of course, she won millions. To be exact, Ms. Henley won $12.5 million.
The takeaway from this jackpot winner? Always trust your intuition, because it might be worth almost $13 million.
Why Are Big Jackpots on Megabucks Machines?
Megabucks machines are wide-area progressive (WAP) slot machines. WAP progressive slot machines are usually interconnected throughout a large area.
What makes the Megabucks machines unique is:
- The WAP system for the Megabucks machines is massive. The Megabucks WAP system in Vegas is the most prominent in the country. The Megabucks WAP system has more players contributing to its odds than any other system in the United States.
- The Megabucks jackpot payouts start at $10 million. So, the winner isn’t going to win less than $10 million.
- The Megabucks machines are some of the most expensive slot machines a gambler can play. The minimum bet amount starts at $3. Considering the average bet on a single spin for a slot machine is around 10 cents, Megabucks machines are expensive to play.
One can assume that the more expensive the single bet, the higher the payout.
These three combined characteristics of the Megabucks progressive slot machines are why they are the king of the biggest slot jackpots.
Conclusion
Man, wouldn’t it be awesome to play the small cash you have on you, even the free casino slot credits, and walk away a multimillionaire?
These stories seem too good to be true. There’s a reason the odds of winning the Megabucks jackpot are not good. The odds for Megabucks win around 50 million to 1.
I love jackpot stories, and I hope you do, too. Just remember, slots should be for fun, not a retirement plan!
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Photo of Trinadad Torres courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino.
Admit it. You have the same dream we do.
Everything conspires and you find yourself in the right place at the right time – seated in front of a Megabucks slot machine that’s primed and ready to hit. You push the button (of course, pulling a lever would be more dramatic, but this is 2015 and the one-armed bandit has gone the way of the horse and buggy). The logos on the reels all line up. And then the moment you’ve been waiting for finally arrives…you realize you’re a millionaire.
Correction: A multimillionaire.
IGT’s Megabucks has been paying out ginormous life-changing jackpots for almost 20 years. Its slogan is “Dream big. Win big.”
A network of slot machines linked throughout Nevada, Megabucks boasts a top prize that builds from a base amount of $10 million. To play it costs $1 a spin, but to quality for that top amount you’ll have to shell out $3. That sounds pretty steep, we know. But trust us, if you hit Megabucks with only a buck or two invested, you’ll leave with a jackpot in the thousands instead of millions. And just imagine trying to live with that.
As you’d expect, Megabucks lays claim to having paid the largest slot jackpots in Vegas history. It last hit here in mid March at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. The lucky winner was Trinadad Torres, a 78-year-old woman from Magna, Utah. She played $100 before netting the $10,744,292.71 jackpot. Her plans include traveling to the Philippines and buying a yellow Mustang.
While nothing to sneeze at, Torres’ windfall just misses placing her on our list below of the 10 biggest slot jackpots ever won in Sin City.
Photo of Excalibur courtesy of MGM Resorts International.
Jackpot amount: $39,710,826.36
When: March 21, 2003
Where:Excalibur
More than 12 years ago, a 25-year-old software engineer from Los Angeles, who wanted to remain anonymous (and who can blame him?), hit the city’s largest slot jackpot after playing $100 on a Megabucks machine. A C-note in return for nearly $40 million…now that’s what we’d call a damn good investment.
Photo of Cynthia Jay-Brennan at the Desert Inn courtesy of Ethan Miller / Las Vegas Sun.
Jackpot amount: $34,959,458.56
When: Jan. 26, 2000
Where: Desert Inn (imploded in phases in 2001 and 2004 to make room for Wynn Las Vegas)
Gobs bigger than any tip she’d received, cocktail waitress Cynthia Jay-Brennan, then 37 years old, hit the second largest Megabucks slot jackpot in Vegas (at that time it was the city’s highest Megabucks payout). But her story took a tragic turn when her car was rear-ended about six weeks later by a drunk driver. Her older sister Lela died in the accident, and Jay-Brennan was left paralyzed.
Photo of Palace Station courtesy of Station Casinos.
Jackpot amount: $27,580,879.60
When: Nov. 15, 1998
Where:Palace Station
Ignoring your budget isn’t always a bad thing. Just ask the then 67-year-old retired flight attendant from Vegas who racked up the city’s third largest Megabucks slot payout. She’d only intended to play $100 at Palace Station that day, but wound up putting $300 in…and we’re pretty she doesn’t regret overspending one bit.
Jackpot amount: $22,621,229.74
When: May 27, 2002
Where:Bally’s
How does that old expression go? The early bird catches…the $22.6 million slot jackpot. Well, that’s how Johanna Heundl (then 74 years old) of Covina, California, might remember it. She was on her way to breakfast when she decided to stop and play a Megabucks machine. Having looked away for a moment, she couldn’t believe her eyes when she turned back and saw all the logos aligned in the payline.
Photo of Caesars Palace courtesy of Caesars Entertainment.
Jackpot amount: $21,346,952.22
When: June 1, 1999
Where:Caesars Palace
An Illinois man, then 49 years old and described as a “self-employed business consultant,” put a $10 bill into a Megabucks machine at the Roman-themed property and hit this whopping multimillion-dollar slot jackpot on his first spin. Here’s what we want to know: Is he still consulting? Can we hire him to help us get into the business of being millionaires?
Jackpot amount: $21,147,947
When: Sept. 15, 2005
Where:Cannery Casino Hotel
One man, two times a Megabucks winner. What are the odds? They’ve got to be astronomical. Certainly, anyone would be happy to score a single multimillion-dollar slot jackpot. But not everyone is Elmer Sherwin. A frequent Vegas visitor, Sherwin hit his first Megabucks jackpot of $4.6 million at The Mirage back in 1989. It was a sign of even better things to come. Sixteen years later, at the age of 92, that lucky son of a gun (kidding, we’re not jealous…really) did it again, adding another $21.1 million to his bank account.
Photo courtesy of the M Resort.
Jackpot amount: $17,329,817.80
When: Dec. 14, 2012
Where:M Resort
Oh, the best things in life are free…especially when they lead to a $17.3 million jackpot. A Las Vegas woman stopped by the M Resort in Henderson to gamble with her “free play” credits and enjoy a meal with some dining vouchers. Before she knew it, she’d become a multimillionaire.
Photo of “Rampart Lucky Local” courtesy of the Rampart Casino.
Jackpot amount: $14,282,544.21
When: Nov. 30, 2014
Where: Rampart Casino
Late last year a Las Vegas man put $20 in a Megabucks slot machine at the Summerlin-area Rampart Casino. Within five minutes he’d hit a jackpot worth $14.2 million. His plans were altruistic (unlike ours). The man, dubbed the “Rampart Lucky Local,” said he would make a donation to his church. The church, which had been holding services in a high school gym, can now have its own location built.
Photo of Aria courtesy of MGM Resorts International.
Jackpot amount: $12,769,933
When: Jan. 21, 2011
Where:Aria
A woman visiting her niece in Vegas decided to drop $6 in a Megabucks slot machine before heading back to her room. Her reaction when the winning symbols lined up: “The machine broke.” Luckily, her niece was there to clarify things. We think we should book a room at Aria because about four months after that jackpot occurred, another Megabucks jackpot hit at the resort for $10,636,897. Talk about lightning striking twice!
Photo of New York-New York courtesy of MGM Resorts International.
Jackpot amount: $12,510,549.90
When: April 14, 1997
Where:New York-New York
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New York-New York opened its doors on Jan. 3, 1997. Perhaps due to a little of the “city that never sleeps” magic, Vegas resident Suzanne Henley made her fortune at the Big Apple-themed megaresort just a few months later. On her way home from work, she stopped in to play a Megabucks machine – one that she’d had an inkling might hit. Henley waited in line an hour before she could play. And at 1:44 a.m., after putting $100 in, her diligence paid off…to the tune of more than $12.5 million.