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.

The relationship between online slots and the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) can often cause confusion among even veteran gamblers. In this article, it’s my goal to clear up some of the uncertainly surrounding the issue, allowing both novices and old pros to play their slots of choice without worrying about possible legal implications.

How the UIGEA Came About

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 13th, 2006. It had been introduced nearly a year earlier by Rep. James Leach, and at the time it was known as the Internet Gambling Prohibition and Enforcement Act.

On the last day before Congress broke for the 2006 midterm elections, they approved the SAFE Port Act, a bill intended to improve the security of U.S. harbors. The UIGEA was tacked on to this otherwise unrelated piece of legislation and more than one politician has stated that the final language of the document was never seen before being voted on.

Important Provisions of the UIGEA

Like most documents of this type, the UIGEA is filled with plenty of confusing language and terminology designed to induce headaches in those unfamiliar with the law. In order to simplify matters, this section isolates and explains some of the bill’s most important provisions.

• The ultimate target of the law isn’t the players or the payment processors, but rather the online casinos. Those who are found guilty can receive a fine, up to five years in prison, and be banned from the gaming industry.
• The main purpose of the act is to prohibit gambling businesses from knowingly accepting money transfers for the purposes of illegal online gaming.  This includes checks, electronic fund transfers, and credit cards.
• Certain payment systems (such as the banks that issue credit cards) are required to have systems in place to safeguard and prevent restricted transactions as defined by the UIGEA.
• The UIGEA cannot be used to expand existing forms of gambling or change other laws or Indian compacts.
• Fantasy sports are excluded from the act, as well as tribal and legal intrastate gambling. The legal status of state lotteries and multi-state gambling on horse racing is never expressly mentioned.
• Using the federal court, the United States can seek injunctions and restraining orders to prevent an entity from performing restricted transactions.
• If a site is found to be transferring money for the purposes of illegal gambling, its Internet service provider can be ordered to remove links to the site and/or shut down the URL.

What the UIGEA Means to You

The passage of the UIGEA led several major gaming sites to vacate the U.S. market, and numerous payment processors no longer accept transactions for the purpose of online wagering. Besides these two results, however, the law has had little impact on those who play virtual slots or other casino games.

The act was never intended to target the individual player, and it’s not a federal crime for private citizens to gamble online (although it may be illegal in certain states). I suggest leaving these headaches to the folks who manage the online casinos, while you head onto the Internet and find a quality establishment that still accepts American customers.

Besides the reduced number of online gaming options, the other major hassle caused by the UIGEA is depositing and withdrawing money from the casino. This can still be accomplished, although it’s no longer as simple as typing in the account number for your VISA or MasterCard.

The easiest way to deposit money is to have it wired via Western Union or some similar service, while casinos often prefer that withdrawals are handled via check. All these methods still result in actual money landing in your bank account, so the minor added inconvenience is worth putting up with.

In closing, just remember the following: the UIGEA did not make it illegal to play USA online slots or any other game. You’re free to sign up with any casino that accepts you, and you’re welcome to send or receive money via any willing payment processor. All you really need to worry about is getting the right symbols in order to qualify for a progressive jackpot.