The unpredictable and rewarding nature of casino games are two of the major aspects that make them alluring to millions of casino players across the globe. Throughout history, a number of casino players have managed to win significant amounts that have changed their lives. In this article, we list the biggest casino wins of all time. Continue reading!
Archie Karas ($40 million)
A Greek immigrant in the US, Archie Karas is widely renowned as one of the best Poker players in the world. Also, he is famous for converting his minimal bankroll of $50 into millions of dollars in winnings.
To be specific, he won more than $40 million for casinos on the Vegas strip. And it took him just three years to do that. Unfortunately, Archie experienced several consecutive losing streaks and lost most of his winnings in just three weeks after reaching that humungous feat.
Things got worse for Karas in the early 2010s when he was alleged of breaching casino security and running scams at popular gambling meccas. Nevertheless, Archie is still considered one of the biggest winners in the history of casino gambling.
American software developer ($39.7 million)
In every field, you can find a handful of people who prefer to keep their life private after achieving an exceptional feat. And this winner on our list is no exception to that.
In March 2003, a young software engineer from Los Angeles was travelling to the Vegas strip to show support to his favourite basketball team. With a few hours remaining for the basketball match to start, he went to the Excalibur Hotel and Casino and decided to try his luck at the popular Megabucks slot machine. If you’re unaware, Megabucks is also a highly famous slot game at all the top online and mobile casinos out there.
After wagering over $100 on the slot machine, the engineer saw the sign “jackpot” flashing on his screen. But it took a while for him to realize that he had won an extraordinary jackpot amount of $39 million. The winning amount was so huge that it was agreed to pay it in 25 annual instalments.
Cynthia Jay Brennen ($34.95 million)
The story of Cynthia Jay Brennen shows the unpredictable nature of human life. As a cocktail waitress in one of the most popular gambling cities, Cynthia went on to try her luck at the Megabucks slot machine on her mother-in-law’s birthday.
After spinning the reels for just a few rounds, Cynthia was able to grab a humungous amount of $34.95 million. Bewildered by her win, she immediately resigned from her job, married her boyfriend and decided to go on a world trip.
But unfortunately, life had something other planned for the former Monte Carlo waitress. A few weeks after the jackpot win, Cynthia met with a brutal car crash that left her body half-paralyzed. Now, she spends most of her time doing charity work and is also an active supporter of campaigns against drunk driving.
Kerry Packer ($26 million)
If you’ve been into casino gambling for a while now, then chances are that you might have heard or read about Kerry Packer. Apart from being one of the most successful businessmen in Australia, Kerry Packer was also a fortunate casino player.
In 1995, Kerry experienced a series of significant wins when he was playing Blackjack at MGM Grand. To be specific, he was able to win over $26 million in a matter of just a few hours. After this huge win, Packer got a lifetime from MGM Hotels and Casinos.
Just like the humungous win, Packer experienced a number of significant losses during his lifetime. In 1999, he lost over $28 million when playing Baccarat at a popular gambling venue in London. Besides Blackjack and Baccarat, the Australian tycoon enjoyed playing card-based casino classics and Roulette games.
Jey Heywood ($18 million)
This is one of the few too-good-to-be-true stories in the world of casino gambling. In October 2015, a British soldier named Jey Heywood wagered 25 cents on the Mega Moolah jackpot machine, a highly popular slot game in the world of online casinos.
The Mela Moolah slot rewarded him with a jackpot prize of $18 million. At that time, his father was in need of medical treatment, so Jey spent a part of his winnings to cover the medical expenses. Also, he decided to continue with his job even after winning a life-changing amount. A truly dedicated person! Right?