Big Wins at Casinos: Interesting Cases and Some Statistics

There’s a common myth that goes like this: the house always wins. It’s so common that people have come to believe it! But what if we told you that some players have managed to scoop millions of dollars playing casino games – both online and offline? What if someone told you that you could also be one of the lucky players when you visit online casinos such as Slots 7?

Well, this article highlights some of the biggest wins in gambling history. As you will notice, most of these players got lucky at the slot machines, which explains why many people try their luck playing the games. You, too, can be a lucky player if you try your hand at any one of them, as they are readily available to everyone.

Player Wins $39.7 Million Playing Excalibur

This is a rather unique story that might sound like it was picked straight out of a fictional gambling movie. In March 2003, a 25-year-old decided to visit Vegas to watch his favourite basketball team play. With a few hours before the start of the event, he decided to kill a few minutes at the renowned Excalibur casino in Las Vegas. Little did he know that his fortunes would change forever!

He sat at one of the slot machines and started spending money. After spending $100 playing the game, all hell broke loose, and the ‘jackpot’ symbol appeared on the screen. To cut the long narrative short, he scoped a massive $39,713 982.25.

The ‘young engineer,’ as he chose to be addressed, was smart enough not to take all the money at once. Instead, he asked the casino to credit his account with $ 1.5 million yearly until the money was paid out in full.

Mega Moolah Wins

Anyone who plays slots online will, without a doubt, know about Mega Moolah. It’s one of Microgaming’s many progressive jackpots that has been breaking records since it was launched online. On April 27 2021, Absolootly Mad: Mega Moolah shattered yet another of Mega Moolah’s progressive jackpots by paying out a massive €19,430,723.60 to a lucky Belgian player playing at the Napoleon Sports & Casino. Other notable wins from Mega Moolah include the following:

  • On Wednesday, April 14 2021, a lucky winner walked away with €17,529,047.11 while playing Book of Atem: WowPot at 32 Red Casino.
  • In October 2015, a lucky British player scooped £13.2m on a 25p stake while playing the original Mega Moolah slot.
  • On Tuesday, April 25 2017, a Tipco player won €8,012,153.35 playing Mega Moolah on his phone. This became the largest win on a mobile device.
  • On September 5, 2024, an anonymous player managed to win $5,248,103 while playing Mega Moolah in a Canadian online casino.

According to Games Global, the software developer behind Mega Moolah, the game has paid out every 14 seconds on average in 2024. It has managed to pay more than €42m across 846,000 lucky winners.

Double Tragedy: $4.6 Million and $21 Million Jackpot Wins

Have you heard of the saying, lightning never strikes the same place twice? Well, this is not the case for Elmer Sherwin, a veteran of World War 2. The 76-year-old managed to win a massive $4.6 million jackpot while playing at the Mirage Casino in Las Vegas. He took the money, travelled the world, and when he came back, played the same machine. This time, it paid out a massive $21 million. For the second win, he donated most of the wins to the charity that helped those affected by Hurricane Katrina.