We’ve all dreamt about landing a huge windfall in Las Vegas, but the reality for the majority who try their luck in Sin City is they come back worse off than when they arrived. But that’s not the case for everybody, with some of the biggest ever casino wins being won on slot machines. Some huge wins come down to instant luck, while others have taken time and the players have been rewarded for their patience.
The slots are one of the easiest casino games to play, and owing to the introduction of progressive jackpots it has created many millionaires across land-based casinos. That’s not to say that online casinos don’t generate the big winners, and you can play casino slots right now for your chance to strike it rich.
$680k and $27 million
The Wheel of Fortune slot machine has quite the reputation for generating sizeable pay-outs, but to pay the same person to the tune of $680k and then $27 million a few months later, just seems overly generous. The unknown 60-something-year-old was playing the famous slot machine at the Palace Station Hotel when she landed the windfall, only to keep trying her luck on future occasions and scoop millions months after. See, persistence can pay off.
$8.9 million
Amy Nishimura hit the headlines back in 2003 when she won $8.9 million whilst playing a Megabucks slot machine at the Freemont Hotel. The retired homemaker from Hawaii used to vacate to Vegas every Christmas, and what a festive period Nishimura had that year (and every year after, no doubt). Reports suggest she hadn’t even been to bed before landing the huge sum of money, but we doubt she’ll have little trouble sleeping knowing she has a sizeable bank balance.
$11 million
US postal worker John Tippin also found his luck was in whilst playing a Megabucks terminal, and his three spins won him a modest $11 million. The Hawaiian national had only staked $9 dollars before his life changed forever, with the huge jackpot rolling in in front of his eyes. In 2001, Tippin wrote a book about his experiences and becoming an overnight millionaire. I Did It! My Life After Megabucks is the title for anybody keen to have a read.
$4.6 million and $21 million
Similar to our first entry, Elmer Sherwin was able to generate two huge slots wins via the Megabucks jackpot. The World War Two veteran took advantage of The Mirage casino, which had only been open for ten hours before collecting a cool $4.6 million. Sherwin carried on playing slots on the odd occasion, perhaps with an inkling that he might be able to become the first-ever, second-time winner. Granted, it took 16 years but Sherwin was celebrating once again, this time to the tune of $21 million.
$39 million
Not only is this the biggest recorded win via any Vegas casino, the anonymous winner technically wasn’t even supposed to win at all. The unknown 25-year-old was only passing the time waiting for a basketball match to start, but a few minutes later his life changed forever. The $39 million windfall is up there with most US lottery wins and the unnamed winner decided to have it paid out over the course of 25 years. Very sensible thinking.