We tend to focus on the business end of global gambling here at gamblingtimes.com, but at the end of the day, a few people each year do walk away from casinos with life-changing amounts of money. We love to see it!
Last week was busier than most, with extraordinary wins in Las Vegas, which can only be good for the winners (and their families).
Jackpots Galore
Early on Tuesday morning, one Vegas visitor from New Mexico, who chose to remain anonymous, won $10.5 million off of a $5 spin at a Megabucks machine in the South Point Hotel Casino.
Just a few hours before that, another visitor from Alaska won $2.1 million on Monopoly Millionaire, playing across town at Cosmopolitan.
Then, on Wednesday, the jackpot madness continued as an individual only identified as Roger L won $2.9 million on a Wheel of Fortune slot machine.
That means a total of $15.5 million was won in jackpots on Vegas slot machines just last week!
Funnily enough, that’s just what one individual won alone – a $15.5 million jackpot on another Megabucks machine at the Suncoast Casino operated by Boyd Gaming.
The winner, who only gave his name as Kevin, stopped in for a “short session” (in his words) after having some work delayed by a few hours. He won the life-changing prize from just a $3 spin.
Megabucks
All of those wins are still eclipsed by Las Vegas’ biggest ever jackpot win. Back in 2003, a young software engineer from California won $39.7 million – although he did wager $100 on the spin.
Again, his big win was on the Megabucks slot. It was so large that he had to be paid in installments over several years.
One other interesting story from the Megabucks slot is the man who won it twice.
Elmer Sherwin won his first $4.6 million jackpot on the opening night of the Mirage casino in 1989. He had borrowed $20 from his ex-wife to play the machine.
Sixteen years later, at the tender age of 92, Mr. Sherwin hit the jackpot again on the Megabucks machine – this time for a huge $21.1 million.
Mr. Sherwin sadly died a few years later, but he spent the money on a laundry list of charitable and philanthropic causes before he passed away.
Megabucks, the machine at the heart of many of these wins, was the first progressive jackpot slot to hit Vegas.
International Gaming Technology (IGT) debuted the machine back in 1986, and it’s still giving out massive wins today!
As well as the jackpot winners, Vegas itself will also probably benefit from stories like these in the long run. Tales of big prizes motivate jackpot hunters to return to Sin City as it begins its recovery from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA.
With visitor numbers still 40% down on the same months in 2020, Vegas needs feel-good stories at the moment.
The city recently debuted the Vegas You promotional campaign. It was designed to remind domestic US tourists that the city is very much open for business again – and in a safe and secure manner.
For the latest updates on the fortunes of the world’s biggest gambling destinations, plus much more, keep checking our pages!