Biggest Slot Machine Wins – What Are The Top Jackpots Of All Time?
5 minutes
Last Updated: August 14, 2022
Many of us have at least once dreamt of hitting a huge slot machine jackpot that would change our lives for the better and for most of us this remains a dream.
However, the people on this list don’t have to dream anymore as they were lucky enough to win the biggest slot machine prizes in history.
10. $14.3 Million – Rampart Casino, Las Vegas
In 2014, a local man won $14.3 Million at the Rampart Casino in Las Vegas. The man who remained anonymous wagered only $20 on the Megabucks slot (which will be featured on most of the jackpots on this list) before hitting the $14,282,544 prize.
As he said, he was accompanying a friend that came out of town when he decided to try his luck on the famous Megabucks slot. It took only five minutes for him to hit the jackpot.
The lucky winner said that he planned to donate money to his local church and charities to help them build a new building.
9. $17.3 Million – M Resort, Henderson
In 2012, a woman who wished to stay anonymous hit the jackpot on the Megabucks slot machine.
She went to the M Resort to take advantage of the vouchers for free food and free play she had but ended up winning $17,329,817 instead.
As witnesses say, she didn’t even notice that she hit the jackpot until one of the players pointed it out to her. All in all, another quite remarkable, movie-like story for the lucky winner.
8. $20.8 Million (£13.2 Million) – Betway, Online
The eighth highest slot machine jackpot was hit online. A lucky British soldier was playing on the
Mega Moolah slot at Betway in 2013 when he won the biggest prize of his life.
Jon Heywood, a Crewe native hit the Mega Moolah jackpot for £13.2 Million. (around $20.8 million at the time).
What sounds even more incredible is that he wagered only 25p per spin – now that is an investment gone right.
For three days, the 26-year-old didn't tell anyone about his win and even went to work the next day.
7. $21.1 Million – Cannery Casino & Hotel, Las Vegas
In 2005, WWII veteran Elmer Sherwin was gambling in the Cannery Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas when he hit gold. The man won $21,147,947 on the Megabucks slot machine.
Odd as it might sound, this wasn’t the first time Elmer found himself in a similar situation. Twelve years before, he won $4.6 million while playing in the Mirage Hotel & Casino.
Hitting one jackpot is almost impossible but hitting two, what are the chances for that?
Looking back at it, we can say that the money went to the right man as Elmer donated a big part of his winnings to people affected by Hurricane Katrina.
6. $21.3 Million – Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
The next big jackpot took place in 1999. A 49-year-old business consultant from Illinois visited the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas not knowing that this visit to the gambling capital of the world would change his life forever.
The lucky man wagered only $10 on the Megabucks slot before winning the $21.3 million.
5. $22.6 Million – Bally’s, Las Vegas
At number five is a $22,621,229.74 score by Johanna Heundl in May 2002. The 74-year-old hit the jackpot on the Nevada Megabucks machine at Bally's Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
Heundl was on her way to breakfast when she decided to try her luck after she saw a man win on the machine the night before. In total, she wagered $170 before hitting the jackpot.
As the woman stated, at first she didn't have a good look, and thought she won $2 million, which was enough to get her emotions flowing.
4. $27.5 Million (€17.8 million) – PAF.com, Online
The fourth-largest slots jackpot in history was won online in 2013, on the website paf.com by a Finnish poker player.
Luck smiled upon the player from Scandinavia when he wagered 25¢ on the Mega Fortune online slot machine from NetEnt and won €17.8 million. (which was worth approximately $27.5 Million in 2013).
As the forty-year-old said to paf.com, which interviewed him one day after the big win, he was crying and laughing at the same time.
At the time, he was a small stakes poker player and just decided to invest a small amount of money on slots, which he thought had a solid payback rate.
3. $27.6 Million – Palace Station Casino, Las Vegas
In 1998, a retired 67-year-old flight attendant won $27.6 million at the Palace Station Casino in Las Vegas.
At first, the woman who remained anonymous planned to spend $100 on slot machines, however in the end she wagered around $300.
This wasn’t the first time she got lucky as she won a $680,000 jackpot on a Wheel of Fortune slot machine sometime before.
The interesting fact is that a secondary jackpot was also hit and included in the score. The casino agreed to pay the money in 25 installments.
The first installment of $1,104,895.06 was paid the same night while the other installments ($1,103,235.18 each) were paid according to the agreement in the following years.
2. $34.9 Million – Desert Inn, Las Vegas
In January of 2000, a cocktail waitress Cynthia Jay Brennan, who was 37 years old at the time, won a $34.9 million jackpot on the Megabucks slot.
The win came after she decided to visit the Desert Inn casino after her work. As she told reporters, she hit the jackpot after an hour of playing.
Unfortunately, this wouldn’t be the last time Cynthia would find herself in the newspaper. Only six weeks after the luckiest day in her life she had a car accident in which she lost her sister and her ability to walk.
The injuries sustained in the accident left her paralyzed for the rest of her life.
Cyntia is now a big supporter of the Free Wheelchair Mission and spends s significant amount of her winnings to help campaigns against drunk driving.
1. $39.7 Million – Excalibur Casino, Las Vegas
The largest jackpot on a slot machine in history was recorded in 2003 at the Excalibur Casino in Las Vegas. A software engineer from Los Angeles, Ethan Miller won $39.7 Million, which is the most money won at a casino in history.
Miller hit the jackpot after spending $100 on the now-famous Megabucks slot machine.
The best way to see how lucky the man was is by looking at the odds. At the moment of the jackpot, the odds of him hitting the biggest prize were 1 in 16,700,000.
Because the jackpot was so big, the Excalibur casino made an agreement with Ethan, to pay him out in 25 installments, one each year. He is still getting his annual installments, which will continue for the next few years.
