13 Biggest Slot Wins Of All Time
* The largest slot jackpot win on our list was for $39 million at Excalibur Casino in Las Vegas.
* Las Vegas is perhaps the luckiest place to win large slots jackpots, with nine wins on our list taking place in Sin City.
* The Megabucks slot machine has shelled out the most winnings on this list, with 10 lucky winners getting multi-million dollar jackpots on Megabucks.
Slot games involve spinning reels of symbols in the hopes of matching up symbols in winning combinations. This game is highly randomized, meaning all you do as the player is pull the handle or press the “spin” button and wait to see if something lines up. Your win is purely a random chance, but your slots strategy should involve knowing slot terminology as well as picking a slot game with the highest available return-to-player rate and the most suitable volatility for your gaming style.
You should also know the rules and bonuses for each slot you play, especially if you want to go after the big jackpots. Progressive slots have continuously growing jackpots that increase with every spin any player takes on the game. That’s because a portion of each wager goes into the community jackpot, and anyone who bets the maximum amount has a chance at snagging that huge prize. Depending on the slot game, the jackpot could be triggered by a specific (and rare) combination, a successful bonus round, or just at random. Progressive slots are the ones where you’re able to win huge jackpots like the ones in our list:
1. Anonymous – $39.7 Million – Excalibur Casino, Las Vegas
2. Cynthia Jay Brennan – $34.9 Million – Desert Inn Casino, Las Vegas
3. Anonymous – $27.5 Million – Palace Station Resort, Las Vegas
4. Anonymous – $24 Million – PAF.com Online Casino
5. Joanna Heundl – $22.6 Million – Bally’s, Las Vegas
6. Anonymous – $21.3 Million – Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
7. Elmer Sherwin – $21 Million – Cannery Casino & Hotel, Las Vegas
8. Anonymous – $17.3 Million – M Resort, Henderson, NV
9. Jonathon Heywood – $17.25 Million – Online Casino
10. Anonymous – $14.3 Million – Rampart Casino, Las Vegas
11. Anonymous – $12.8 Million – Aria Resort, Las Vegas
12. Rodolfo T. – $11.8 Million – Fremont, Las Vegas
13. D.P. – $11.6 Million – Zodiac Online Casino
Let’s check out 13 of the biggest slot jackpot wins of all time.
13. D.P. – $11.6 Million – Zodiac Online Casino
It’s fitting that the first lucky winner on our list of the biggest slot wins of all time made her millions while playing at an online casino. Known only as D.P., this woman was playing the Mega Moolah online slot at Zodiac Casino, a UK-based online casino, on her iPad before dinner. Just as her husband called her to the meal, her final spin scored her the jackpot of $11,610,536.69. She and her husband were in shock, so much so that they had to call the Zodiac Casino team to confirm her win. And they did.
D.P.’s secret? “The Secret,” by Rhonda Byrne. This new age book about manifesting what you want out of life inspired D.B. to actually write herself a check for a million dollars and put it on her bedroom wall where she’d see it every day to make this dream a reality in 2016.
12. Rodolfo T. – $11.8 Million – Fremont, Las Vegas
The Megabucks slot has the perfect name because Rodolfo T. is just one of many people on this list who’ve hit it big while playing this progressive jackpot. He was playing at the Fremont in Las Vegas, and this Megabucks slot is one of 700 in Nevada that are connected so the jackpot grows even higher and faster. Rodolfo made the max bet of $3 and hit a jackpot of more than $11.8 million, changing his life in minutes.
11. Anonymous – $12.8 Million – Aria Resort, Las Vegas
Yet another Megabucks slot machine paid out another lucky winner in Vegas in 2011. A woman who chose to remain anonymous was enjoying a birthday celebration trip for her niece when she chose a random machine, put in $6, and then won $12.8 million.
Why did she choose this machine? Well, she was just on her way back to her room after a fun night out on the town, and she just decided to take the chance. Goes to show that if you’ve got a funny feeling about a machine, it might just be the one to pay out.
10. Anonymous – $14.3 Million – Rampart Casino, Las Vegas
Here’s another Megabucks win! In December 2013, an anonymous player popped in $20 and walked away with $14,282,544. The man was a local just showing a friend around the casino floor. This winner generously donated much of his winnings to his church and a few charities that we’re sure were so happy to receive the funds.
9. Jonathon Heywood – $17.25 Million – Online Casino
Like D.P.’s win, this one also happened across the pond on the Mega Moolah progressive slot. In October 2015, soldier Jonathon Heywood bet 25 pence, which is about 50 cents here in the states, and won the enormous jackpot of £13,213,838.68. Converted to today’s dollars, that’s about $17.25 million.
What’s cool about this win is that the whole country was on the edge of their seats, playing and waiting for the rapidly growing progressive jackpot to hit for them. But it was lucky Mr. Heywood who won one of the largest slot jackpots and promptly used a portion of it to care for his ailing father.
8. Anonymous – $17.3 Million – M Resort, Henderson
Another biggest slot win goes to an anonymous winner who hit it big on the Megabucks progressive jackpot slot in 2012, winning $17,329,817. He was so focused on playing the game and munching on snacks that a player beside him had to point out that he’d won the big prize. What’s more, this lucky winner went to M Resort in Henderson because he had free play credits to use up. Never underestimate the power of playing your casino bonuses.
7. Elmer Sherwin – $21 Million – Cannery Casino & Hotel, Las Vegas
Elmer Sherwin was a World War II vet with exceptional luck. In 1989, the Mirage opened in Las Vegas, and just a few days after it opened its doors, Sherwin walked away with a $4.6 million jackpot from, you guessed it, a Megabucks slot. His bankroll had run out, so he borrowed $20 from his then-wife. It only took 90 minutes for him to win and claim the title of the largest slot jackpot won at The Mirage.
In fact, 16 years later, Sherwin visited the Cannery Casino & Hotel and played the same Megabucks game that brought him so much success years before. At the age of 92, Sherwin made his dream of winning the Megabucks jackpot for a second time a reality. He bet the maximum $3 bet and walked away with over $21 million. Experts say that the odds of hitting the jackpot twice was “billions, if not trillions, to one.”
6. Anonymous – $21.3 Million – Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
Megabucks is, based on our list, probably the best chance anyone has of hitting these multi-million dollar jackpots because we have another big Megabucks winner. In 1999, an anonymous businessman played just $10 on the Megabucks slot machine and walked away with $21.3 million, though some other sources report that he won $20 million, which may be due to inflation. Either way, $20+ million is nothing to snub our noses at.
5. Joanna Heundl – $22.6 Million – Bally’s, Las Vegas
Joanna Heundl’s story proves that being in a casino loyalty program can pay off. In May 2002, she was staying and playing at Bally’s thanks to the casino’s generous birthday offer of two nights at the resort and $100 in free play. She put $100 into the machine, went through that, and then decided to do another $100 before she headed off to breakfast. When she had just over $20 left in the machine, she considered leaving due to a hungry stomach.
But, she spun once more and stacked three Megabucks symbols on the center line, which won her the primary jackpot of over $22 million and an additional secondary jackpot of more than $3,000. Her total winnings were $22,618,156.67.
4. Anonymous – $24 Million – PAF.com Online Casino
What can one quarter get you? Well, apparently millions of dollars if you’re as lucky as this Finnish slot player. He was usually a fan of poker, but then, in 2013, he decided to try his luck at the Mega Fortune slot game at PAF.com, a European online casino. After just one bet of $0.25, his spin triggered a fantastic bonus round where he won €17.8 million, or about $24 million. He still holds the title of the largest slot jackpot win in online casino history.
3. Anonymous – $27.5 Million – Palace Station Resort, Las Vegas
Megabucks did it AGAIN. In 1998, a retired flight attendant who wished to remain anonymous won $27,582,539.48 on the mega-lucky slot game. She originally planned to only stick out her Megabucks play for $100, but she had the itch and inserted $200 more. The woman only got $40 into her third hundred when the screens flashed and bells rang, indicating that she had won — and won BIG. AND this was just a few months after she had won $680,000 on the Wheel of Fortune slot at the same casino. What luck!
2. Cynthia Jay-Brennan – $34.9 Million – Desert Inn Casino, Las Vegas
In 2000, Cynthia Jay-Brennan had just finished a work shift as a cocktail waitress when she decided to stop by the Desert Inn Hotel and Casino in Vegas. She was working hard to save for her wedding, but she spent the time enjoying a birthday celebration for her future mother-in-law with a few rounds of slots. And she chose the Megabucks machine.
She started with just $21 and betting the max — $3 — for each spin (the only way you can score that big jackpot!). After her initial bankroll was gone, she decided to stick it out for two more spins. And on that final spin, she landed those sweet matching Megabucks symbols, winning just under $35 million. This whole experience was just an hour’s worth of play.
Unfortunately, a few weeks after her big win, she and her sister were in a car accident that left her paralyzed. Her sister did not survive the crash. Since then, Jay-Brennan has donated much of her winnings to multiple charities that help people with disabilities.
1. Anonymous – $39.7 Million – Excalibur Casino, Las Vegas
Our final entry on the largest slots wins in history is yet another amazing Megabucks win. In 2003, a young software engineer, who remains anonymous, was hanging out at Excalibur Casino. He sat down at the Megabucks machine, played about $100 on the game, and then saw those three Megabucks symbols stack up, winning him the big prize. To this day, it is still the record holder for the biggest slot jackpot won on Megabucks.
Honorable Mentions
Las Vegas and European-based online casinos don’t get to have all the fun awarding giant jackpots from slots. In fact, we’ve got a few honorable mentions from the Garden State that are sure to inspire you to keep playing slots at your favorite online New Jersey casinos.
Donna – $1.67 Million – Resorts Casino Hotel, Atlantic City
Just last year, Donna, a woman from Monmouth County, New Jersey, won $1,644,349.78 while playing the Wheel of Fortune machine at Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. The Wheel of Fortune machine must be pretty lucky, too, since Donna and that retired flight attendant had great success. You can play Wheel of Fortune at many NJ online casinos, including ResortsCasino.com.
Dori B. – $3.5 Million – Borgata Online Casino, New Jersey
The NJ online casino community saw a huge win last year, too. Dori B. was playing slots at Borgata Online Casino. It was a single $10 spin on the MGM Grand Millions online slot that won her the grand prize of $3.5 million. This beat the online jackpot record of $3.2 million in 2020.
Not ready to wager your own money? Try out free NJ online slots, like online demos, to warm up and find the lucky slot game for you. When you’re ready to go for the big progressive jackpots, check out our reviews of the top online casinos in New Jersey and keep an eye on those progressive jackpot amounts.