Tales of Slot Machine Winners
I’ve always been a sucker for tales of slot machine winners. Even if I’m stuck in the middle of a cold streak, listening to accounts of players getting rich off one spin of the reels always manages to reinvigorate me. If you ever find yourself in need of similar motivation, I submit these real-life success stories for your approval.
Millionaire Grandparents – Walter Misco and his wife took a trip to Las Vegas, and he decided to play the Lion’s Share slot at the urging of his spouse. This MGM game was notable for having its own cult following spurred on by the fact that it had never paid out its top progressive prize in over 20 years. That all changed 20 minutes into Walter’s session, as he hit the jackpot and walked away with $2.4 million. In a press conference after the win, the couple announced their plans to use the money to buy a new car and put their five grandchildren through college.
Guinness Record Holder – When it comes to online progressive jackpot slots, the current holder of the Guinness World Record is an unnamed 47-year-old man from Finland. He achieved this feat in January of 2013 while playing the Mega Fortune slot from Net Entertainment. While his wager was a modest 0.25 euros, the payout was a whopping 17,861,813 euros (equal to $22,974,400). According to the winner, “I laughed and cried at the same time.”
Another Record Holder – Prior to the win detailed above, the previous Guinness record holder for an online progressive win was a Norwegian male. When he had trouble falling asleep on the night of September 24th, 2011, he logged on to Betsson.com and tried his hand at the Mega Fortune slot. Thank goodness for insomnia, as he soon hit the jackpot and won 11,736,375 euros. This didn’t help his ability to fall asleep, however, and the combined shock and pleasure of winning kept him up until 6 am.
Lightning Strikes Twice – Las Vegas resident Elmer Sherwin holds the distinction of being the first man to win a Megabucks jackpot twice. The first win came at the Mirage in 1989 and paid $4.6 million. Almost two decades later, the 92-year-old Sherwin struck paydirt again, this time earning $21.1 at the Cannery Casino. After noting that his “life’s dream” had been to hit the jackpot twice, Mr. Sherwin announced his plans to try for a third.
Canadian Jackpot Winner – After shoveling the snow from the driveway of his Windsor, Ontario home, auto worker Kim McNamara and his wife headed to the local casino to get a free gas card. He tried his luck at the Cash Spin Jackpot machine while he was there, but after 10 minutes decided to pack it in after one final spin. That’s when Lady Luck intervened, making him $1,011,027 richer.
“I am definitely retiring,” he said.
One Lucky Greek – In 2009, a Greek online player named Georgios M. became part of gambling history while gaming at River Belle Casino. He became one of the biggest online progressive jackpot winners ever recorded, taking home 6,374,434 (about $8.62 million) while spinning the reels on the Mega Moolah slot.
Twice as Nice – Jo Ann Argyris had been gaming for nearly a decade without any major wins, but the mother of two and grandmother of three became an instant millionaire while playing penny slots in Henderson, Nevada. Ten months later, she won another million on the same game (Millioniser Hyperlink) at a different casino.
When asked how she spent her money, Jo Ann replied, ““My car is only four years old and has just 45,000 miles on it. Why would I want to go out and spend $60,000 on a car that I really don’t need? So, what I did was pay off the loans on my children’s cars, gave them some money and put some away for my grandchildren. Then, I gave some money to my sister.”
Double Trouble – On November 22nd, 2006, a Texas resident named Leah A. logged on to All Slots Casino. She started her gaming session by playing the five-reel version of the Major Millions progressive, and she was amazed when she won the $432,179 jackpot. In accordance with the casino rules, the jackpot reset to $250,000 and started to climb once again. Leah wasn’t done, however, and three hours later she won the same progressive and put another $250,642 in her pocket.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these true tales of slot machine winners. While the odds of winding up in a similar position are slim, the men and women in this article have proven that it can be done. All you need are nerves of steel, endless patience, and plenty of coins to feed into the slots. With a little luck, I’ll be telling stories about your big win in the near future.
