She was playing a state-wide lottery jackpot slot machine called Megabucks in Las Vegas when she struck it big and won $34,959,458.56. The next nine weeks were wonderful for her. Baccarat is the world's biggest casino game by the sheer amount won. While casinos court high rollers who bet big bucks on the game, baccarat is not without its risk to the casino.
When it comes to the most popular games in Las Vegas casinos, three games stand above the rest.
Slot machines, roulette, and the blackjack tables draw the lion’s share of gamblers. These games are fast-paced, exciting and for the most part very easy to learn; factors which alone are reason enough to play, for most casino visitors.
There is however, one more factor. A factor that is always present in the back of the mind of every gambler that steps foot into a casino. The chance of a big win. A huge, life-changing win. This is the one factor that brings new gamblers in, and keeps long time gamblers coming back.
Lets take a look at three of the biggest wins in Las Vegas history – to date. One from each of the most popular casino games.
In March of 2003, Ethan Miller, a 25-year-old software engineer from Los Angeles won $39.7 million after wagering $100 in the Megabucks slot machine at the Excalibur casino.
His odds of winning at the time? A staggering 1 in 16.7 million.
Ethan’s win still stands as the biggest slots jackpot won in Las Vegas. No word if Ethan ever went back to his software engineering job.
In 2004, English gambler, Ashley Revell sold all his possessions, including his clothes, and wagered the proceeds, amounting to $135,300 USD on a single spin of the roulette wheel at Plaza Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
The moment was captured by Britain’s Sky One television channel for their mini reality series “Double or Nothing”.
Needless to say, wagering your life savings, or any amount which you cannot afford to lose is a lousy idea.
For those planning to wager responsibly, online casinos present a convenient opportunity to try one’s luck and win real money without having to travel to Vegas. You need much less to gamble online but the win may be the biggest in the history of online casino.
Australian billionaire Kerry Packer, a gambling legend in his own right, won between USD $24 million and USD $33 million playing blackjack (and some baccarat) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Rumor has it that Packer tipped a doorman a cool million dollars that night, and that several high-level MGM Grand employees were fired for permitting Packer to make huge bets.
What’s really interesting is that online casinos are starting to rival the winnings of Vegas with no deposit slots like Mega Moolah regularly turning regular people multi-millionaires. In just one example, British soldier Jonathon Heywood from Cheshire, United Kingdom, won £13.2 million.
Stay tuned for our future article covering the biggest and most exciting wins in European casinos. And remember, if you gamble, please gamble responsibly.
You may also be interested in: The worst bet ever made.