The Biggest Slot Machine Wins in Las Vegas Gambling History

In 2011, an anonymous player hit the jackpot while playing a penny slot machine at the Aria Resort and Casino. The woman was playing for just $6 when she turned her casual game into a life-changing $12.6 million win. What’s even more shocking is the player claimed they were on their way to their room without the intention of even playing, until the machine caught her eye.

On Christmas Eve, a part-time Las Vegas resident hit a $15.5 million jackpot on an IGT Megabucks machine at Boyd Gaming’s Suncoast Hotel & Casino. This huge slot machine win took just $40, and the player was only in Vegas because of a work delay. This player’s Christmas miracle stands as the biggest win in Las Vegas in eight years.

A short drive to the Las Vegas Valley suburb of Henderson, Nevada, is the site of a $17.3 million slot jackpot. In December 2012, an anonymous gambler hit this Las Vegas jackpot on the Megabucks slot machine at M Resort.

The lucky customer went to M Resort because they had a free play slot and food voucher. According to IGT, the slot manufacturer of Megabucks, noted that the winner didn’t realize they had won before somebody brought it to their attention.

Another casino off The Strip is responsible for one of the biggest slot jackpots in Las Vegas history. On September 16th, 2005, 92-year-old, Elmer Sherwin won the second jackpot of his life.

In 1989, Sherwin was the winner of a $4.6 million slot jackpot at the Mirage. 16 years later, at the Cannery Casino & Hotel, Sherwin struck again. This time, he won a monster $21.1 million Megabucks jackpot.

In 1999, at the world-famous Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip, an anonymous tourist from Illinois raked in $21.3 million in one of the biggest Las Vegas jackpots.

While most gamblers have to take multiple attempts, the 49-year-old business consultant only needed one spin. He inserted $10 into the Megabucks slot machine and won the $21.3 million slot jackpot on his first try.

Formerly known as the MGM Las Vegas, and currently the Horseshoe Las Vegas, one of the biggest Vegas jackpots occurred at Bally’s Las Vegas.

In May 2002, a 74-year-old native of Austria, Johanna Heundl, won the $22.6 million Megabucks jackpot at Bally’s. She inserted $177 into the slot machine and turned it into millions. Heundl planned on using the money to fly home to visit brothers and sisters in Europe.

This huge slot win is tied for 4th/5th on the list at $22.6. The winner, was a 92-year-old retired grandmother from Illinois who was visiting her niece in Las Vegas. This 2005 trip to the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino turned out to be a $22.6 million payday.

A local resident of Las Vegas was rewarded with a $27.6 million jackpot following a Sunday trip to Palace Station. On November 15, 1998, an anonymous woman cashed in after spending $300 on a Megabucks slot machine.

Instead of receiving a lump sum, the woman decided to receive the money in instalments over 25 years. She opted for $1.1 million paid out every year.

The winner stated to casino representatives that she planned to share the money with her three children and grandchild. After 25 years, she only recently received her final yearly payout.

On January 26, 2000, the second-largest jackpot in Las Vegas history was won at the Desert Inn Hotel. Currently, the Wynn and Encore is where the Desert Inn Hotel was situated on the Las Vegas Strip.

Originally from Sacramento, California, Cynthia Jay-Brennan moved to Las Vegas for a job as a cocktail waitress. She moved with the intention of saving up enough money for college.

After one fateful night, while celebrating her boyfriend’s mother’s birthday, she would make enough for college tuition and then some. Jay-Brennan won the $35 million Megabucks jackpot and her life would never be the same again.

Unfortunately, Jay-Brennan was involved in an automobile accident weeks after winning the life-changing windfall. As a result, her sister passed away due to injuries sustained in the crash, and Jay-Brennan was left paralyzed below the chest.

Only three years after Jay-Brennan broke the Las Vegas slot jackpot record, a 25-year-old software engineer from Los Angeles secured the biggest slot win ever.

Two decades later and the $39.7 million Megabucks jackpot still stands as the record in Las Vegas. The winner, who remained anonymous, was in Las Vegas visiting friends and betting on the NCAA Tournament.

After looking away from his machine for a second, the software engineer was shocked to find all of the Megabucks symbols lined up when he looked back.

Today, his Las Vegas slot jackpot still stands as the biggest of all-time in the city’s history.