Casinos have made a few lucky players rich beyond their wildest dreams, especially from jackpot slots. While only a little is known about the aftermath of their wins, these people have set a record and are a guarantee that you can be the next millionaire with just a small wager amount.
The Biggest Casino Wins In History
Most of these record wins were set in land-based casinos, especially in Las Vegas, where you have the biggest casinos with high-stake players. These record wins are from games such as blackjack, baccarat, poker, and slot machines.
In this article, we’ll highlight and detail some of these staggering wins in casino history. We start with the legendary Kerry Packer, the famous billionaire who won about $40 million in one night at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Casino.
$40 Million Win By Kerry Packer
Kerry Packer was a legendary Australian media mogul who loved gambling high amounts at the best casinos around the world. His luck was at an all-time high when he visited the MGM Grand casino in Vegas one night and spent $250,000 in wagers.
It’s rumoured that he won so much money that it would have amounted to about $40 million. The exact amount he won remains unclear, but it was quite evident this amount was large with the tips he left for the staff of the casino.
To date, he’s regarded as the biggest winner ever in MGM Grand casinos, and his legacy remains in the establishment. He was said to have won this amount of money playing table games such as baccarat and blackjack.
$40 Million Win By Archie Karas
Archie Karas, whose full name is Anargyros Nicholas Karabouriotis, made a $40 million fortune from playing poker. His story remains one of the most inspiring in gambling history, as it’s reported that he made this win with a $50 wager.
He has the longest winning streak with this win in history, but somehow couldn’t hold the fortune as he gambled most of it away after a while. This win happened at The Mirage, a casino resort in Las Vegas.
$39.7 Million Win By Josh Ford
In 2003, Josh Ford, a player from Los Angeles, tried his luck on the popular Megabucks slot machine, wagering just $100.
His luck had him hitting the largest slot jackpot ever, winning $39.7 million at the Excalibur Casino in Las Vegas. Josh Ford has remained off-grid since his win at a casino two decades ago.
$34.9 Million Win By Cynthia Jay Brennen
In 2000, Cynthia Jay Brennen became the second biggest winner at the Megabucks slot, hitting a win of $34.9 million at the Desert Inn Casino, Las Vegas.
A few months after her win, Cynthia was unfortunately involved in a car crash that left her paralysed.
$26.7 Million Win By A Lucky Retiree
In 1998, a retired woman went into the Palace Station casino with the intention to spend just $100 gambling. However, her luck pushed her to spend three times that, and it landed her a staggering win of $27.6 million.
This win was from the Megabucks slot, and she has managed to remain anonymous ever since her win. She remains one of the biggest winners from the legendary Megabucks slot.
$23.6 Million Win By A Finnish Player
In 2013, a Finnish player tried his luck online at PAF.com, playing NetEnt’s progressive jackpot slot, Mega Fortune. He reportedly spent only 25 cents to win this jackpot prize.
He remains one of the biggest winners of the NetEnt classic game and has remained anonymous since his win.
$22.6 Million By Johanna Heundl
In 2002, Johanna Heundl sought to celebrate her 74th birthday in Bally’s Casino, Las Vegas. The casino gave her a birthday bonus of $100 for spending two nights with them.
This is part of the casino’s loyalty programs to retain its customers, and you can learn more about loyalty programs for Indian players 2023 here: www.masterofcasinos.com/loyalty-programs/. She used this on the Megabucks slot, added one hundred dollars of her own money, and then another $20. It was this $20 wager that got her $22 million win.
$22 Million By A Belgian Player
In April 2021, a Belgian player won $22 million with a stake of $15 in Microgaming’s Mega Moolah. He made this wager at the Napoleon Sports & Casino and has chosen to remain anonymous since his win.
$21.3 Million Win By A Player From Illinois
The Caesar’s Palace is a well-known casino in Las Vegas, featured in movies for its grandiosity and games collection.
In 1999, a 49-year-old business consultant wagered only $10 on the Megabucks slot in the casino and won a huge prize of $21.3 million. The lucky winner chose to remain anonymous after his win.
$21.1 Million Win By Elmer Sherwin
Elmer Sherwin is probably the luckiest player in the Megabucks slot, winning massively twice at the jackpot game. He first won $4.6 million at the game in 1989 at The Mirage casino.
In 2005, his luck struck again when he won $21.1 million at the Cannery Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas.
$20.8 Million Win By Jon Heywood
In 2013, Jon Heywood, a British soldier, wagered 25 cents on the Mega Moolah slot by Microgaming. He did this online at Betway casino and triggered a jackpot win of $20.8 million.
With this win, he became one of the biggest winners to ever emerge from the Mega Moolah slot.
$18.3 Million Win By Antonio Esfandiari
Antonio Esfandiari is regarded as one of the most popular and successful poker players of all time, with a win of $18.3 at the WSOP tournaments.
He secured a single win at the 2012 WSOP Big One for One Drop poker game, earning a whopping sum of over $18 million. But that wasn’t all he won, as he also got a platinum bracelet worth over $5 million.
$17.3 Million Win At M Resort In Henderson
In 2012, a lucky woman hit a jackpot win of $17.3 million on the Megabucks slot at M Resort. The best part of the jackpot prize was that she used free credits to play the slot that gave her this massive win.
$15.1 Million Win By Don Johnson
Don Johnson nicknamed himself “the killer of the Atlantic City” after hitting three popular casinos to accumulate a win of $15.1 million. Over three months, Don Johnson played blackjack, amongst other table games, at Caesar’s Palace, Tropicana, and Borgata Casinos.
Players knew him for his winning streak, but he wasn’t as popular with casino management. Some say he was dubious in his games, but he denied it and claimed he won fairly from understanding blackjack strategies.
$14.5 Million Win By Mr Peter
Known only by his first name, Mr Peter won $14.5 million from the Arabian Knights progressive jackpot slot. Mr Peter remains mostly anonymous and is possibly the biggest winner from the Arabian Knights slot.
$14.3 Million Win At Rampart Casino
Rampart Casino is one of the biggest establishments on the Las Vegas gambling strip, and it has had its share of huge wins. In 2013, a player wagered $20 on the Megabucks slot and got a whopping sum of $14.3 million.
The player’s identity remains undisclosed, and it was reported that they donated most of their winnings to charity organisations.
$8.9 Million Win By Amy Nishimura
Amy Nishimura is a slot player known for her ability to play slot machines for hours on end without getting deterred. She played slot machines at the Fremont Casino in Las Vegas with a wager of $100 to hit a jackpot win of $8.9 million.
It’s reported that she played these machines for three hours while chatting to them the whole time.
$3.7 Million Win By Beverly Whitten
In 2006, Beverly Whitten, a retired teacher, sat with slot machines for about two hours till she hit a jackpot prize of $3.7 million. The casino where this happened was at the Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort in West Virginia.
As it’s not the most fancy of gambling places, it was a record win for the casino and Beverly Whitten. In fact, she was so overwhelmed with the win that she asked the casino to pay her in instalments of $2000 monthly.
Conclusion
With these historical wins, it’s quite clear that anybody can get lucky enough to become a millionaire from gambling. Most of these wins were from a decade or more ago when land-based casinos had better domination.
However, with the evolving space of the online gambling industry today, it’s become much easier to win jackpot prizes, albeit not as huge as some on this list. You only need to scout for the best online casinos offering jackpot games and tournaments that could make you rich overnight.
In all of these wins, it’s worth noting that casinos are not losing. These kinds of wins happen once in a while in a space where gamblers lose money to the casino every day.
So, if you’re aiming to be one of the people with these historical wins, be sure to remain responsible with your budget and wagers.