Megabucks Jackpot History

broken image


  1. Wisconsin Megabucks Jackpot History
  2. Megabucks Jackpot History
  3. Megabucks Jackpot Ma
  4. Current Las Vegas Megabucks Jackpots
  5. Megabucks Jackpot Vegas

There he won again on a Megabucks slot machine, but this time he walked away with $21.1 million. Sherwin was in his 90s when he hit his second jackpot. A few years early a 25-year-old software engineer won the highest slot machine payout in history. In 2003 the young man won $39.7 million playing a Megabucks machine at Excalibur. Jackpot History. Jackpot Statistics for Megabucks (Oregon) Jackpot Amount: Highest: $30.00 Million: MON 11/15/04: Lowest: $1.00 Million: SAT 10/26/02: Average: $8.26.

on

Slot machines are relatively easy to understand and play. You drop the coin (or insert your player card) and pull the lever or press the button. The reels start spinning on a screen.

Once the reels stop, you're hoping that you have a winning combo and finally have the nest egg, new car, or house you've always dreamed of. This is not the likely outcome of playing a slot machine. Slots (like penny slot machines specifically) are the biggest moneymakers for American casinos.

Most players would be surprised by how much they spend to win even a small payout. The odds are not in your favor. A slot machine is not usually a financially sound way to spend your money.

But you can win, and some gamblers have won big. Slot machine payouts are some of the largest out of any other game in casinos.

I'm going to talk about the biggest slot machine winners. I'm sharing with you the 10 biggest casino jackpot winners of all time.

1 – $39,710,826.36

A 25-year-old software engineer who chose to remain anonymous won nearly $40 million on a progressive slot machine at the Excalibur Casino in Las Vegas.

This win happened in 2003 and remains the most significant slot jackpot of all time. I don't know if I could be trusted with that much money at 25, could you?

The anonymous gambler used $100 on the Megabucks slot machines. Talk about return on investment.

2 – $34,959,458.56

In January of 2000, Cynthia Jay Brennan, a cocktail waitress, had her most important day of her career. Cynthia, 37 at the time of the win, played a Megabucks machine at the Desert Inn.

The Wynn Las Vegas is the former location of the Desert Inn. Unfortunately, Ms. Brennan was in a tragic car accident six weeks later when she was hit by a drunk driver. She was left paralyzed, and her sister's life was taken in the accident.

3 – $27,580,879.60

A retired flight attendant entered the Palace Station Casino on November 15th, 1998, with the intent of only playing $100 on slots. She blew her budget as we tend to do when real money gambling.

She ended up betting $300, and she's glad she did. The anonymous woman is currently the record holder for the third largest jackpot winner.

The flight attendant won almost 28 million on a Megabucks machine. I guess sometimes tripling your bankroll pays off. It paid off big for this lucky player.

4 – $22,621,229.74

Rise and shine! That's what Johanna Heundl did on May 27th, 2002, when she won the fourth biggest slots machine jackpot of all time.

The California resident casually decided to play a, you guessed it, Megabucks machine. She was on her way to breakfast.

Johanna looked away from the machine for a moment. When she looked back at the slot machine, she had to check her vision. She won nearly $23 million.

What a great way to start the day, wouldn't you agree? I would've bought breakfast for the whole restaurant, wouldn't you?

5 – $21,346,952.22

On June 1st, 1999, an unnamed business consultant put a $10 bill in a Megabucks slots machine. He had no idea that his life was about change.

The Illinois resident proceeded to win $21.3 million on the machine at Caesar's Palace in Vegas. I wonder if he's still consulting?

The 49-year-old has chosen to remain anonymous to this day. I probably would, too.

6 – $21,147,947.00

How would you feel about winning not just one multimillion payout, but two? In a span of 20 years?

Dreams do come true. Elmer Sherwin won $4.6 million in 1989 at the Mirage. Almost 20 years later, the Vegas regular won $21.1 million on a Megabucks machine at the Cannery Casino Hotel in Las Vegas.

The luckiest man alive won his second jackpot at the young age of 92. It's too bad you can't take money with you to the grave. Elmer passed away two years later at 94.

This story gives a new meaning to golden years.

7 – $17,329,817.80

Any casino regular is familiar with the freebies you're given. There's the $20 credit to play on slots. Maybe you'll get the dinner voucher. You might even get a discount on your hotel room.

They're great, but do you really take any of those seriously? I probably have 10 buffet vouchers in my junk drawer as I write this post.

Well, maybe we shouldn't treat these freebies with such abandon. A Las Vegas woman went to the M Resort in Henderson, NV, to use her free play credit with the casino and use up some food vouchers.

She was on her way to use the food vouchers for dinner with a friend. She had no idea her life was about to change. The woman inserted the credits into a Megabucks machine and won. She didn't just win a measly $400, she won nearly $18 million.

In December of 2012, this anonymous gambler's holiday wishes came early. The lesson here is to use those free credits! You might not win, but what is there to lose? Maybe a multimillion-dollar jackpot?

8 – $17,329,817.80

A Las Vegas casino regular, known the Rampart Lucky Local, played a $20 bill in a Megabucks machine at the Rampart Casino. You know exactly what happens next—he won a multimillion jackpot.

The man had much bigger dreams than using the money for his own needs and wants. He made a substantial donation to his local church.

The donation allowed the fledgling church to build their own church. At the time, the young church was hosting their services out of a local high school's gym.

The world might be just a smidgen better if more of us were this generous.

9 – $12,769,933.00

What happens when you're visiting your niece and she happens to live in Vegas? You go play the $6 in your pocket at the Aria Casino and Resort, obviously.

What might not happen to all people in this situation is winning almost $13 million.

This is what on January 21st, 2011. An unnamed woman was:

  1. Visiting her niece in Las Vegas
  2. She had $6 in cash
  3. She played a Megabucks machine at the Aria Casino and Resort
  4. She won $12.7 million

The outcome of this was for one woman. Vegas craps odds. Her life was forever changed. That's the kind of out-of-town trip I'm talking about!

Ironically, there was another major jackpot on a Megabucks machine four months later. I bet the Aria was double-checking the odds on their machines.

10 – $12,510,549.90

Big Apple dreams came true for a Vegas local on April 14th, 1997. Suzanne Henley stopped into the New York-New York Casino one night on her way home from work.

She had a hunch that the casino was overdue for a massive payout on the Megabucks slot machines. I swear, you should always trust your gut. It's rarely wrong.

Suzanne played $100 on the Megabucks machine that was suspected to be a winner. And of course, she won millions. To be exact, Ms. Henley won $12.5 million.

The takeaway from this jackpot winner? Always trust your intuition, because it might be worth almost $13 million.

Why Are Big Jackpots on Megabucks Machines?

Megabucks machines are wide-area progressive (WAP) slot machines. WAP progressive slot machines are usually interconnected throughout a large area.

What makes the Megabucks machines unique is:

History
  1. The WAP system for the Megabucks machines is massive. The Megabucks WAP system in Vegas is the most prominent in the country. The Megabucks WAP system has more players contributing to its odds than any other system in the United States.
  2. The Megabucks jackpot payouts start at $10 million. So, the winner isn't going to win less than $10 million.
  3. The Megabucks machines are some of the most expensive slot machines a gambler can play. The minimum bet amount starts at $3. Considering the average bet on a single spin for a slot machine is around 10 cents, Megabucks machines are expensive to play.

One can assume that the more expensive the single bet, the higher the payout.

These three combined characteristics of the Megabucks progressive slot machines are why they are the king of the biggest slot jackpots.

Conclusion

Jackpot
  1. The WAP system for the Megabucks machines is massive. The Megabucks WAP system in Vegas is the most prominent in the country. The Megabucks WAP system has more players contributing to its odds than any other system in the United States.
  2. The Megabucks jackpot payouts start at $10 million. So, the winner isn't going to win less than $10 million.
  3. The Megabucks machines are some of the most expensive slot machines a gambler can play. The minimum bet amount starts at $3. Considering the average bet on a single spin for a slot machine is around 10 cents, Megabucks machines are expensive to play.

One can assume that the more expensive the single bet, the higher the payout.

These three combined characteristics of the Megabucks progressive slot machines are why they are the king of the biggest slot jackpots.

Conclusion

Man, wouldn't it be awesome to play the small cash you have on you, even the free casino slot credits, and walk away a multimillionaire?

These stories seem too good to be true. There's a reason the odds of winning the Megabucks jackpot are not good. The odds for Megabucks win around 50 million to 1.

I love jackpot stories, and I hope you do, too. Best online casino no download. Just remember, slots should be for fun, not a retirement plan!

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

Megabucks are slots with progressive jackpots, combined into a single network that covers casinos in several American states. The owner and operator of this network is International Game Technology, better known by its abbreviated name IGT.

Megabucks slot is considered as an alternative to state lotteries and enjoys incredible popularity among Americans. Actually, there is an opinion that IGT specifically released it to create a lottery competition. Since the beginning of the eighties in the twentieth century, when the slot was launched for the first time, this slot made dozens of players millionaires.

Thanks to the skillfully organized advertising company, every Megabucks jackpot, when it reaches a considerable size, causes a real excitement among the gambling public. And every hit of the progressive jackpot is widely covered in the media, attracting even more casino visitors to the slot. No other slot in the world is overgrown with so many incredible myths, rumors, and legends. But with all this, there are a lot of gambling experts and just experienced players who consider Megabucks a hideous slot that absolutely does not deserve so much attention. So, who is right: fans or opponents of this slot?

Where to Play the Megabucks Slot

  • Secure
  • Fast Withdrawals
RankCasino/HotelDetailsBooking
Rio All Suite$100-200Avg. Room RatesView Deals
2Main Street Station$40-80Avg. Room RatesView Deals
3The Orleans$60-120Avg. Room RatesView Deals
4Arizona Charlie's Boulder$30-60Avg. Room RatesView Deals

How to Play Megabucks

The classic version of the Megabucks slot from IGT is a 3-reel slot machine with the only one payline. In order to qualify for a progressive jackpot, the player must definitely bet three dollars. There are a lot of stories (both true and fictitious) about casino customers, who had the jackpot combination, but they did not receive any jackpot because of a bet less than three dollars.

The progressive jackpot is not completely nullified when a lucky winner gets it but starts to grow from a certain amount. In recent years, this fixed amount is $10,000,000. There are persistent rumors that soon this initial sum of the jackpot should increase by one million.

Wisconsin Megabucks Jackpot History

Megabucks Slot Odds

Strange as it may seem, there is no official information about the probability of winning the Megabucks jackpot. Some casinos say that the player has one chance out of 50 million, while others claim that this is one chance of 17 million. Whatever it was, when the sum of the jackpot is large enough, fans of this slot are ready to fly thousands of kilometers to try their luck.

What do Lady Luck's favorites have from this slot? Do they get all that huge amount of money that is advertised? When you win a jackpot, events can unfold as follows. First of all, the lucky guy will receive a check for $1,400,000. Then the winner is given two or three months to decide how he wants to get his winnings. There are two options: the amount is divided into annual payments, which will be transferred to the player within twenty-five years, or he can get the winnings immediately at a time, but at a rate of 60% of the jackpot.

That is, having won ten million, the winner can receive in the second variant only six million, but at once and with one payment. After receiving the win, he still has to pay taxes. Unsurprisingly, almost all holders of Megabucks jackpots prefer to receive their winnings in the form of annual payments.

However, in this case, they also have to pay taxes, the Internal Revenue Service of the United States (IRS) very strictly follows this. Subtract from the total amount of the jackpot another 40%, because such winnings are taxed at the maximum rate. So, the next time you hear that someone has won ten million in Megabucks and immediately took all the money, you know that the lucky guy got a little over three and a half million at his disposal.

The Curse of the Megabucks Jackpot

As already mentioned above, there are a lot of urban legends about the Megabucks slot and its jackpot, mostly of a gloomy nature. For the most part, they describe the tragic fate of players who managed to win a huge jackpot. It is believed that almost all the lucky people either perish or suffer numerous woes. The cause of their numerous misfortunes is the so-called Curse of the Megabucks slot.

Megabucks Jackpot History

Of course, in these stories, there is much more fiction than the truth. However, there is no smoke without fire — some winners, really, seriously suffered after they won the jackpot. In particular, the further life of the waitress Cynthia J. Brennan, who won $34.9 million in 2000, was sad. A month and a half after the win, Cynthia and her sister were hit by a drunk driver. The sister died on the spot, and Cynthia was forever paralyzed. The guy who drove the car in a state of intoxication was imprisoned for twenty-eight years.

But the rumors about the curse of Megabucks spread even before the year 2000. Simply, this accident was widely covered in the press and made people remember about other similar events, which at that time did not become so resonant. In 2003, many media published a story about a 25-year-old player who became the owner of the Megabucks jackpot and either died from a drug overdose in a casino hotel or was killed in a street shootout. IGT companies had to work hard to convince the public of the falsity of these statements.

There are also a lot of rumors about underage players and employees of different casinos who won the Megabucks jackpot but could not get it due to existing rules. But none of these rumors received documentary evidence.

Many experts in the field of gambling suggest that ITG recently made relevant changes to the Megabucks system, which makes the jackpot play less often, but with larger amounts. Although officially the company claims that nothing of the sort has happened, this opinion remains very popular.

Megabucks Jackpot Ma

Where Could You Play Megabucks?

Most fans of slot machines and large jackpots are not afraid of the curse of Megabucks and are willing to play in this slot. You can find this slot in almost all real casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, as well as in other establishments in Nevada, California, New Jersey, Mississippi, and some Indian reservations. Each state has its own separate network of Megabucks slots, but the biggest progressive jackpots are expected in Nevada. In other states, jackpots are much smaller.

Why do Experts Consider Megabucks a Bad Slot?

Experts do not believe in the curse of the Megabucks slot, but this does not stop them from considering this gambling machine not worthy of attention. The fact is that this slot is very unprofitable for the player. Firstly, it has an extremely high percentage of the casino advantage, which reaches 10-15% (for comparison, many slots in the Las Vegas casino are limited to 2-3%). Secondly, the procedure for paying a jackpot is extremely inconvenient. The winner either loses 40% of the amount or gets it in parts for 25 years. But the progressive jackpots of most other slots are paid immediately and in full.

All this suggests that Megabucks is a mediocre slot, which gained its popularity only thanks to record payments and a masterly organized PR campaign.

Current Las Vegas Megabucks Jackpots

See Also

Megabucks Jackpot Vegas

Las Vegas Progressive Jackpots



broken image