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Hitting the jackpot is rare, but the dream keeps slots players coming back for more. The chances of hitting a life-changing jackpot are slim, but never zero.
Some slot games offer life-changing jackpots, which have taken years to finally be won. Could you be next to win the Holy Grail of Gambling? Here are the top 10 slot machine wins ever.
Top 10 Biggest Slot Machine Wins Ever
| Rank | Slot Machine | Amount Won | Location | Date | Winner |
| 1 | WowPot! Wheel of Wishes | $42 million | Sportsbet.io | December 20, 2023 | Anonymous winner with a $50 wager in cryptocurrency Tether |
| 2 | Megabucks | $39,713,982.25 | Excalibur, Las Vegas | March 21, 2003 | 25-year-old software engineer from Los Angeles |
| 3 | Megabucks | $34,959,458 | Desert Inn, Las Vegas | January 26, 2000 | Cynthia Jay-Brennan, a cocktail waitress, was the winner |
| 4 | Megabucks | $27,582,539.48 | Palace Station Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas | November 15, 1998 | 67-year-old retired airline flight attendant. |
| 5 | Megabucks | $22,621,229.74 | Bally’s, Las Vegas | May 28, 2002 | Johanna Heundl, a retired Austrian printer |
| 6 | Megabucks | $21,346,952.22 | Caesars Palace, Las Vegas | June 1, 1999 | 49-year-old Illinois businessman |
| 7 | Megabucks | $21,147,947.31 | Cannery Casino, Las Vegas | September 15, 2005 | Elmer Sherwin, who previously won in 1989 |
| 8 | Megabucks | $20,519,025 | Cannery Casino, Las Vegas | June 5, 2006 | 64-year-old Las Vegas retiree |
| 9 | Mega Fortune | $19,335,250 | Paf.com | January 20, 2013 | 40-year-old Finnish man |
| 10 | Megabucks | $17,329,817 | M Resort, Henderson, NV | December 14, 2012 | Rodolphe, a retired school principal |
1. WowPot! Wheel of Wishes at Sportsbet.io – $42 million
It took nearly 21 years but – finally – the list of all-time top-10 jackpot winners has a new leader. The only problem is: we don’t know who he is.
On December 20, 2023, a player, at the Sportbet.io online casino, wagered $50 worth of the cryptocurrency Tether, on the online slot Wheel of Wishes; he struck paydirt, with a €38,461,200.95 WowPot! jackpot win.
Having won nearly $42 million, all we know about the winner is he said: “At first I thought it was a mistake, but when it sank in that I’d won more than 40 million dollars, I was running around the room shouting and celebrating.”
The online slot is the work of developers Gaming Global and Alchemy Gaming. Chief Product Officer Andy Booth said: “This is a monumental moment for both Games Global and the entire iGaming industry.
“We could not be prouder to be home to the largest online slot jackpot win.”
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2. Megabucks at the Excalibur – $39,713,982.25
Although no longer in the #1 position, it’s hard to imagine anything could make the mystery 2003 Megabucks winner unhappy.
Megabucks, from developers IGT, was one of the first games to use the progressive jackpot format; pooling together income from identical machines, to create a huge shared jackpot.
On March 21, 2003, a 25-year-old software engineer from Los Angeles, was visiting friends and family in Las Vegas, on a weekend break, to celebrate the annual college basketball March Madness tournament. He was staying on the Strip, at the Excalibur Hotel.
His Uncle recommended he try his luck on the Megabucks machine, convinced the jackpot was ‘ready to blow’. He gambled about $100, briefly looked away from the slot; when he looked back three golden eagles had landed, along with nearly $40 million.
FYI: the maximum wager on the Megabucks slot is just $3. Your chances of winning the jackpot: one in 16.7 million. Maybe, it’s about due to pay out?
“Land-based casinos made it quite clear that higher bets are required to activate the biggest wins, but as seen on the list, online progressive jackpot slots make it possible to become an overnight millionaire with any wager.
It's all about spinning the reels at the right time to line up the symbols for your chance to claim the next big win; someone has to. As the saying goes, if you don't play, you can't win.”
3. Megabucks at the Desert Inn – $34,959,458
The tried and tested adage that ‘nothing is more important than your health’ really hits home with the tragic story of Megabucks jackpot winning Las Vegas cocktail waitress, Cynthia Jay-Brennan.
On January 26, 2000, 37-year-old Jay-Brennan gambled $27 on the Megabucks slot machine at the Desert Inn, in Las Vegas, and hit the jackpot; a massive, life-changing, $34,959,458.
She married her boyfriend and made plans to travel the world. Life couldn’t get much better. Six weeks later, a drunk driver smashed into her car, leaving Jay-Brennan paralyzed from the waist down and her sister dead.
The driver was sentenced to 28 years in jail. Much of Jay-Brennan’s new fortune would be spent on health care, rehabilitation, and recovery; but it would never be enough.
“I’d give every cent I have to turn back the clock to the days before the accident,” she said.
4. Megabucks at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino – $27,582,539.48
This is our third top 10 Megabucks multi-millionaire on this list. This a retired Las Vegas resident who struck it lucky at the Palace Station Casino, on Sunday November 15, 1998.
She had intended to wager only $100 on the Megabucks slot but was $40 into her third C-note when the jackpot hit.
At the time, it was the biggest slot machine jackpot ever. The former airline flight attendant was 67 when she won the first of twenty-four annual, $1.2 million installments. The last check will have been delivered in 2022. If she is still alive, she would be 93 today.
5. Megabucks at Bally’s – $22,621,229.74
Another Megabucks. Another retiree. Another Las Vegas casino. In at number #5 is Johanna Heundl who struck Megabucks gold, when she won the $22.6 million jackpot at Bally’s.
The retired Austrian printer was a frequent Las Vegas visitor, in town to celebrate her birthday. She was on her way to breakfast but couldn’t resist playing the machine. She dropped $100 and was $70 into her next $100, when the three golden eagles arrived.
Bally’s is now the Horseshoe Las Vegas. Heundl was 74, when she hit the jackpot on May 28, 2002. She opted to take the jackpot as a lump sum. Let’s hope she’s still spending it today, at the age of 96.
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6. Megabucks at Caesars Palace – $21,346,952.22
All he wanted to do was pay off his credit cards. On June 1, 1999, it was the turn of Caesars Palace to host the next jackpot-winning multi-millionaire.
The 49-year-old Illinois businessman wagered just $10, spun the reels once, and won $21.35 million.
The winner was described as ‘a quiet, unmarried, man’ and wanted to remain anonymous. When he hit the win, the casino had to quickly rope the area off and isolate the winner, as other gamblers wanted to touch him for luck. Who can blame them?
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7. Megabucks at the Cannery Casino – $21,147,947.31
Apparently, lightning strikes twice. Imagine: it’s 1989. You’re staying at the brand-new Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. It’s been open for just 10 hours.
You hit the Megabucks slots and win the jackpot: a cool $4.65 million. In 1989, that’s a lot of money. In 2024, it’s still a lot of money. Would you ever gamble again?
Well, Elmer Sherwin did. After winning a life-changing jackpot, 16 years earlier, he came back to Las Vegas for a second serving – and got one, with bells on. Aged 92, on September 15, 2005, Sherwin rolled the Megabucks reels at the Cannery and won a cool $21.14 million.
He donated much of his winnings to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Sherwin then passed away in 2007.
8. Megabucks at the Cannery Casino (again) – $20,519,025
Just nine months after Elmer Sherwin hit his double jackpot, it was the turn of a 64-year-old Las Vegas retiree to spin her way to jackpot glory. All it took was $12 and four pulls of the handle, on June 5, 2006.
“My friend told me, ‘Megabucks is going to hit’,” said the anonymous winner. “I couldn’t believe I had won it. A cleaning lady in the casino pointed to the big jackpot and said, ‘You won that.'”
Although the lucky lady kept her identity a secret, we know she planned to pay off her mortgage and buy a new car. That shouldn’t be too hard with a $20 million bankroll.
9. Mega Fortune at Paf.com – $19,335,250
Finally, it’s not Megabucks. Five reels, three rows, twenty-five paylines and a 25-cent stake was all it took for a 40-year-old Finnish man to increase his bank balance to the tune of €17.8 million ($19.3 million).
On January 20, 2013, the Mega Fortune online slot finally lived up to its name, courtesy of Åland-based online casino Paf. At the time, it was a world record for the biggest online slot win. Now eclipsed by the jackpot at the top of this list.
10. Megabucks at the M Resort – $17,329,817
And the last jackpot goes to…Megabucks. Once again, the IGT classic steals the show.
A notable thing about this jackpot (apart from the fact its $17.3 million) is that it didn’t take place in Las Vegas; instead the neighboring town of Henderson.
It’s Friday night, December 14, 2012, and retired school principal Rodolphe is getting everything he wanted – and more – from his Christmas wish list.
After wagering just $20, he hit the jackpot. Although, he didn’t realize it until his friend pointed it out to him.
