Although plenty of people have strategies and techniques to make the most of their casino games, the biggest winners will still tell you that luck plays a major part in winning. After all, casino tables and slot games are designed to offer completely random experiences.
Luck has been on the right side of plenty of big winners over the years, with some casino punters having been able to make six-figure sums from online and offline games! Of course, winning this big takes a lot of nerve and patience – and the understanding that games can go either way at any time.
Today, I’ve lined up stories about five of the luckiest casino winners of all time, who also happen to have scored some of the biggest jackpots ever seen. Marvel at their wins, but also remember that when you’re playing along at Tonybet, it’s always important to keep healthy money and time limits on your games.
$40m blackjack win at MGM Casino (Kerry Packer)
Australian media mogul Kerry Packer still holds the biggest cumulative casino win of all time, when he managed to claim a blistering eight-figure sum while playing at the MGM Grand. Packer was the richest man in Australia thanks to both his business ventures and his gambling activities.
It’s reported that the late Packer frequented the blackjack tables, and was able to rack up to $40m playing at the MGM Grand. Apparently, this might have been down to playing up to six hands at once – but, again, luck certainly had to come into it.
That said, pride comes before a fall. It’s reported that Packer would later lose over $25m while gambling – and he didn’t exactly make friends with many casinos due to his playing style!
Although it’s clear that luck was on Packer’s side, he also had plenty of money to front his bets in the first place. Unfortunately, you need to remember that copying Packer’s routines and following his jackpot journey isn’t recommended. You should always:
- Set clear limits on what you spend.
- Walk away when you reach these limits.
- Keep in mind that losing is always a possibility – and that winning big prizes is a matter of luck, not strategy.
$34.9m Megabucks jackpot at Desert Inn (Cynthia Jay-Brennan)
Cynthia Jay-Brennan’s staggering $34.9m win arose after she bet $100 on slots at the Desert Inn Hotel and Casino – all it took was one spin on the Megabucks slot to land a super-rare eight-figure jackpot. This is absolutely life-changing money, and unlike Packer, Jay-Brennan was playing much lower stakes (and she was playing a different game).
Jay-Brennan quit her job and started planning a wedding – however, this story has an absolutely tragic end. Barely two months after winning this massive prize, Jay-Brennan would be involved in a car crash that would render her quadriplegic and would kill her sister.
$39.7m Megabucks jackpot at Excalibur – the single biggest Vegas win in history (anonymous player)
Yes, believe it or not, the biggest Vegas win in history – in one go – appears to belong to someone who kept themselves anonymous. And I don’t blame them, honestly!
The winner is said to be an engineer visiting Las Vegas from Los Angeles who decided to wager $100 on a slot machine at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino. Now, that’s not a small bet to begin with, but the slot machine in question, again, happened to be Megabucks branded!
In total, the engineer came away with an eye-watering $39.7m, with change of 25 cents. This win was sealed all the way back in 2003, and to this day, it’s yet to be beaten.
$27.6m Megabucks jackpot at Palace Station (anonymous player)
Yet again, the Megabucks slot crowns a big winner! On this occasion, it was an anonymous retired flight attendant who apparently tried her luck at the slot at Palace Station. This was back in 1998, making it one of the earliest wins of its magnitude – yet apparently the winner had already claimed a prize of more than $600,000 some months before!
Again, this player was wagering fairly large bets – it took $300 for the jackpot to fall into place! This was a life-changing moment for her – but, again, keep in mind that the biggest prizes come with the biggest bets. If you can’t afford to play big jackpot games, don’t play them. Or, set healthy limits on games with smaller prizes where possible.
$24m Mega Fortune jackpot online (anonymous player)
All of the big wins we’ve looked at so far are from real-life slots and tables. However, there have been some massive wins scored through online games. In this particular case, it was the popular Mega Fortune jackpot slot that rendered a $24m prize to a lucky player from Finland!
Reportedly, the progressive jackpot slot gave away the eight-figure sum in 2013 – and unlike many of the stories I’ve covered so far, this win didn’t arise from a big wager, but from a 25-cent spin! Worth around €17.8m at the time, this win still seems to be the biggest online prize given away across all of history.
Of course, winning on progressive jackpot slots takes a lot of luck. These games are designed to run consecutively at different casinos and slot sites, meaning that you’re likely playing against thousands of other people for an extremely rare jackpot. That said, you have to place a bet at the right time on the right machine, and you never know when it might drop.
With that in mind, remember that the odds are always stacked against you – it’s wise to keep an open mind as we can’t all be Kerry Packer!
Is there a way to get luck on your side?
Luck is a fickle beast that isn’t something you can always harness! The games available at Tonybet are designed to be truly random and benefit from RNG (random number generation) technology – meaning that winning really is a matter of placing the right bet at the right time.
Many players – on slots, tables and otherwise – have strategies and routines they use to try to inspire wins. If that’s something you enjoy doing, more power to you, but there are no guaranteed ways to win on slot or casino games.
That said, we’re all about keeping games fair! We work with leading slot and online table developers to provide titles that are proven to offer genuine prizes over time. What’s more, we genuinely care about making sure that our players are supported. This means that you can always rely on a member of our team to help you manage your play time and money when needed.
Above all, when playing casino games online or offline, it’s always important to keep an open mind. The huge wins I’ve discussed in this article are few and far between – and yes, while they do happen to some people, they’re very much in the minority.
Don’t let that spoil your enjoyment of playing fair games across Tonybet – take a look at our slots, tables and live games and see what leaps out at you!
