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The motto for most gamblers who come to Las Vegas on a lark is rather simple – go big or go home.
If you’re going to wager real American dollars on games of chance and skill, there’s no reason to take the conservative route. Bankroll management notwithstanding, the goal for any gambler in Sin City is to hit it big, win the jackpot, and walk away with more money than you know what to do with.
Of course, the vast majority of us who take these shots don’t mint themselves instant millionaires. Instead, the house’s inexorable edge and every gambling game’s inherent odds against the player combine to pour our money straight into the casino’s coffers.
For this reason, what happened at the Excalibur casino on March 21st of 2003 when a random tourist from Los Angeles decided to hit the slots has become the stuff of Las Vegas legend.
On that day, an anonymous 25-year old gambler arrived in town to visit his family. With the annual “March Madness” college basketball tournament in full swing, the player figured they might as well get some action down on Duke, Arizona, and the rest of the sport’s heavyweights.
The young man’s uncle heard about the trip to Excalibur Hotel & Casino and offered his nephew a little sage advice from a Las Vegas local – play the Megabucks slot machine and see what happens.
And with a $10 million starting seed* – not to mention millions of tourists plunking down the requisite $3 per spin to give themselves a chance – the Megabucks jackpot had swelled to an astounding $39.7 million.
*Megabucks initially offered a $1 million starting seed, before increasing to $7 million in 1997, and $10 million in 2005
Thus, the visitor from L.A. found a Megabucks machine and took a seat with $100 in hand.
What happened next made history…
How Does the Megabucks Slot Machine Work?
First things first though… in case you’re unfamiliar with the Megabucks slot, here’s a quick crash course on the greatest progressive jackpot game of them all.
Casino game manufacturer International Game Technology (IGT) introduced its Megabucks slot way back in 1986. At the time, slot machine jackpots were static in nature, meaning each individual machine offered its own kitty based on how many coins had been previously deposited in between major payouts.
IGT had a revolutionary idea, however, so the company linked its various Megabucks machines all over the Silver State together. In other words, whenever a player in Reno, Mesquite, or anywhere in Nevada for that matter played one Megabucks machine, their coins contributed to the same jackpot total.
This wide area progressive jackpot concept proved to be an immediate hit with players, who loved to watch the meter continuously climb into the seven-figures.
And those meters did climb on a daily basis too, thanks to the Megabucks game’s enormous odds against on the topline jackpot.
Megabucks is a deceptively simple game, one which eschews the multiple paylines and expanded reels that make up the bulk of a casino’s slot inventory nowadays. For a maximum bet of $3, players send three reels spinning, each featuring traditional symbols like 7s, cherries, and BARs. To form winning combinations, players hope to hit three matching symbols along a single payline.
The game’s jackpot symbol is a golden “Megabucks Eagle” which depicts the slot’s distinctive logo. The only thing is, landing even one of these crucial symbols along the payline requires the player to beat odds of 1 in 368. Knowing this, the odds against spiking all three at once come to an astronomical 1 in 49,836,032 – or (1/368)3.
For this reason, the Megabucks progressive jackpot often goes unclaimed for extended stretches, many of which lasting more than a year. With so much time in between big winners, and so many players statewide tossing $3 per spin into the kitty, Megabucks jackpots soon became notorious for reaching epic proportions.
Before that fateful day in 2003, Megabucks players enjoyed an incredible run which saw the jackpot rise to a then record $27.5 million in 1998. That life-changing sum was won by a lucky slot spinner at Palace Station in November of 1998, but the record was eventually broken with a $34.9 million payout awarded to a cocktail waitress playing at the Desert Inn in January of 2000.
A little more than three years later, a new record was waiting to be set at the Excalibur.
$100 Flier Turns Into Life-Changing Record Jackpot Win
Starting out with only $100, the player from L.A. had just 33 spins to work with given the $3* price of play.
*Megabucks can be played for $1 or $2 spins, but the progressive jackpot is only awarded to players who opt for the max-bet of $3
Even so, as a press release issued by IGT later revealed, the player with a birthdate featuring three 7s seemed to have Lady Luck on his arm from the very start. Within the span of those 33 spins, the man watched as not one, not two, but three of the “Megabucks Eagle” symbols slowly spun and came to a rest alongside one another.
Just like that, the player had beaten odds of nearly 1 in 50 million to put nearly $40 million in his pocket.
Well, not all at once anyway. The winner elected to take $1.5 million installments over the course of 26 years – which means he’s still receiving seven-figure payouts annually to this day. In fact, the winner has another 10 years and $15 million remaining on his record-setting payment plan.
Although he chose to remain anonymous, the winner provided the following statement to IGT:
“I’m still stunned; it doesn’t seem real yet. But both of my parents are still working, so some of this money will be used to fund their retirement.”
Largest Megabucks Jackpot Ever – And By a Long Shot
John Sears – who served as vice president of IGT’s MegaJackpots program at the time – confirmed that the $39,713,982.25 payout smashed the previous record for largest slot machine jackpot ever awarded:
“This MegaJackpot is nearly $5 million more than the previous world record slot jackpot amount of $34.9 million – this one goes into The Guinness Book of Records.”
Check out the table below – featuring 10 real megabucks jackpot wins – to get a better sense of just how ridiculous the record-setting jackpot really is:
Megabucks Jackpot History (Wins of $10 Million or More)
| DATE | CASINO | CITY/STATE | JACKPOT AMOUNT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/21/2003 | Excalibur | Las Vegas, NV | $39,713,982.25 |
| 1/26/2000 | Desert Inn | Las Vegas, NV | $34,955,490.00 |
| 4/12/2009 | Terrible’s Rail City Casino | Sparks, NV | $33,000,563.00 |
| 11/15/1998 | Palace Station | Las Vegas, NV | $27,580,878.00 |
| 5/27/2002 | Bally’s Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV | $22,621,229.00 |
| 6/1/1999 | Caesars Palace | Las Vegas, NV | $21,346,937.00 |
| 9/15/2005 | Cannery | Las Vegas, NV | $21,147,947.00 |
| 11/14/2003 | Stardust | Las Vegas, NV | $19,600,523.30 |
| 12/14/2012 | M Resort | Las Vegas, NV | $17,329,817.67 |
| 11/30/2014 | Rampart Casino | Las Vegas, NV | $14,282,544.21 |
Competing Jackpot Hunters Lament Loss of Record-Setting Total
Within the slot machine gaming enthusiast community, learning that Megabucks’ massive jackpot had been won proved to be bittersweet indeed.
In an interview with the Las Vegas Sun conducted shortly after the news broke, Kim Wong from Kailua, Hawaii told the newspaper how she felt watching the meter reset back to $10 million:
“I was here at lunchtime around 12:30 and it was still around $39.7 million. Then I came back around quarter after one and it was resetting. It was such a drag. It was a little more enticing with the $39 million up there, but I’m still playing.”
Judy Selasky from Lavonia, Michigan provided a similar story, telling the paper that even though a record payout was off the table, she and her husband would still play in hopes of a “lightning strikes twice” type of moment:
“I said, ‘Hurry up and get up to the room, so I can get downstairs. I figure if he won, there might be some magic here. I’m not a hog.”
Conclusion
In a city like Las Vegas which was founded on excess, setting the world record for slot machine jackpot winnings really is something special. And while we don’t know much about the software engineer from L.A. who did the deed, learning that a 25-year old tourist took the honors should give hope to every gambler who makes the sojourn to Sin City.
More than 16 years have passed since the record-setting spin, and nobody has even come close to claiming such an incredible Megabucks jackpot over that span – which shows just how astonishing that memorable moment in March of 2003 really was.
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas—unless you happen to win a huge cash payout while gambling. The odds that you’ll win $5.00 or $10.00 while playing the slot machines are quite good. The odds of hitting a multimillion-dollar jackpot at a Vegas casino—well, if you accomplish that, then we’ll be hitting the Vegas strip with you next time.
They may be rare, but mega-million jackpots in Vegas do happen. Most recently, in November 2014, a man turned $20.00 into $14.28 million when he hit the progressive jackpot playing a Megabucks slot machine at Rampart Casino. The Megabucks machine is linked to 157 casinos throughout Nevada.
If you’re hoping lightning strikes twice, you may want to visit the following casinos on your next trip to Las Vegas:
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5. Rampart Casino
The unidentified Vegas resident who won the cool $14.0 million at Rampart was visiting the casino with an out-of-town friend one day. The man played the Megabucks slot machine for all of five minutes before hitting the jackpot! The money, he said, would be donated to various charities and his church.
The 50,000-square-foot Rampart Casino1 is located in the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa. It boasts nearly 1,300 slots, video poker, and keno machines. The Summerlin Room High Limit area features games that range from $1.00 to $10.00 denominations and the 300-seat Bingo Room is conveniently located next to the Rampart Buffet. With 50 lush acres, JW Marriott Las Vegas is considered to be the first off-the-strip luxury resort in Las Vegas. The 548 guestrooms offer mountain, garden, city, or golf-course views, and are equipped with high-speed Internet access, rainfall showerheads, and jetted tubs.2
If that’s not enough, the JW Marriott has a day spa. Spa Aquae has 36 treatment rooms, an outdoor hydrotherapy circuit pool, a whirlpool, a steam room and sauna, a hot and cold plunge, and cascading waterfall showers. It also has a state-of-the-art fitness center and offers daily yoga sessions.3
4. Bally’s
Seventy-four-year-old Johanna Huendl was on her way to breakfast at Bally’s when she decided to take a seat at the Megabuck machine. She put in about $170.00 and won the jackpot. Initially she misread the machine and was overjoyed to see she would be taking home $2.0 million. But she was wrong; she won $22.62 million.4
Located on the Vegas strip, Bally’s Las Vegas features more than 2,800 extra-sized guestrooms (450 square feet each) and a number of penthouses ranging from 2,567 square feet to 3,425 square feet. Guests at Bally’s can also enjoy the 13,000-square-foot spa, salon, Olympic-sized pools with palm trees, private cabanas, and a whirlpool, fine dining, shows, and shopping.5 At 67,000 square feet, the casino at Bally’s has countless slot and video poker machines, more than 65 Las Vegas table games (casino blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat, and pai gow), a poker room, a 24-hour Keno parlor, and a stadium-style race and sports book.
3. Palace Station
Did you know that one of the largest, progressive slot machine payouts in history happened at Palace Station? Back in 1998, a retired flight attendant fed $300.00 into a Megabucks machine and walked away with a staggering $27.5 million.
Located just a few minutes off Las Vegas Boulevard, Palace Station is known as the locals’ favorite place to stay and play! Palace Station has a 1,000-room hotel, fitness center, pool, and salon, along with bars, lounges, and fine dining.6
The Palace Station casino has more than 100,000 square feet of gaming space and the perfect mix of slots and table games.7 The casino has more than 1,600 slot/video poker machines, 45 table games (blackjack, pai gow poker, pai gow tiles, “Ultimate Texas Hold’em,” craps, roulette, and baccarat), a 307-seat bingo hall, a 20-seat keno lounge, and a 230-seat race and a sports book featuring 44 screens.
2. Wynn Las Vegas & Encore Resort
On January 26, 2000, Cynthia Jay-Brennan, a Las Vegas cocktail waitress, won $34.9 million after investing $27.00 on a Megabucks machine at the Desert Inn. Naturally, the casino set her up in one of its top suites and offered her champagne and caviar.8
Unfortunately, the Desert Inn suffered the fate of many of the older casinos in Las Vegas: it was imploded. Today, Wynn Las Vega and Encore Resort now sit on the land where Desert Inn once stood. If you’re superstitious, you might want to try the casino at Wynn or Encore.
Wynn Las Vegas is an iconic, curved high-rise on the Las Vegas Strip with 2,716 rooms ranging in size from 640 square feet to villas at 7,000 square feet. Together with the adjacent Encore Resort, the entire Wynn resort complex has a total of 4,750 rooms, making it the world’s sixth-largest hotel.9
Wynn Las Vegas has a 223,000-square-foot convention center, 76,000 square feet of retail space, a spa, a salon, a pool, and an 111,000-square-foot casino. If you like to golf, Wynn Resorts also has the only golf club on the Strip. The 18-hole, 7,193-yard, par-72 golf course was designed by world-famous architect Tom Fazio and resort owner Steve Wynn.
Encore Resort features a 2,034-room hotel that is ranked as one of the top 100 hotels in the world on the 2015 Gold List. Encore also has a 74,000-square-foot casino, 27,000 square feet of retail space, a spa and salon, five restaurants, seven bars, and a nightclub.
1. Excalibur
Back in March 2003, a 25-year-old software engineer from Las Angeles won $39.7 million after putting $100.00 in the Megabucks slot machine at Excalibur. The winner, who wished to remain anonymous, beat odds at the time of one in 16.7 million to take home the largest jackpot in Las Vegas history.10
Excalibur isn’t just a name—it’s a way of life. On the south end of the Las Vegas Strip, Excalibur is a Camelot-themed resort linked to neighbouring New York-New York and Tropicana resorts by overhead pedestrian bridges.11
The hotel has 4,008 rooms, ranging from contemporary to guest suites. Amenities include shopping, four luxurious pools (including one for guests 18 years of age and older), a 13,000-square-foot spa, a fitness center, and, of course, the Canterbury Wedding Chapel.
The 100,000-square-foot gaming area consists of both table games and over 1,400 slot machines, including the ever-popular Megabucks progressive jackpot slot machine. The casino also has a poker room, keno, and pari-mutuel betting.12
So, what happens if lightning does happen to strike twice and you win big?
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Sources:
1. “Where the Locals Play in Summerlin,” Rampart Casino at The Resort at Summerlin web site; https://www.theresortatsummerlin.com/gaming/index.php, last accessed May 1, 2015.
2. JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa web site; http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lasjw-jw-marriott-las-vegas-resort-and-spa/, last accessed May 1, 2015.
3. Spa Aquae web site; http://spaaquaelv.com/, last accessed May 1, 2015.
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4. “$22.6 Million Megabucks Hits at Bally’s Las Vegas,” IGT web site; http://www.igt.com/company-information/news-room/news-releases?NewsID=650269,
last accessed May 1, 2015.
5. Caesars web site; https://www.caesars.com/ballys-las-vegas, last accessed May 1, 2015.
6. Palace Station web site; https://palacestation.sclv.com/, last accessed May 1, 2015.
7. “Boarding Pass Players Club,” Palace Station web site; https://palacestation.sclv.com/Gaming.aspx, last accessed May 1, 2015.
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8. Macy, R., “Woman plays $27, wins $34.9 million,” Las Vegas Sun web site, January 27, 2000; http://lasvegassun.com/news/2000/jan/27/woman-plays-27-wins-349-million/.
9. Wynn Las Vegas web site; http://wynnlasvegas.com/, last accessed May 1, 2015.
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10. Norman, R.J., “Record jackpot claimed by Calif. engineer,” Las Vegas Sun web site, March 4, 2003; http://lasvegassun.com/news/2003/mar/24/record-jackpot-claimed-by-calif-engineer/?history.
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11. Excalibur web site; http://www.excalibur.com/, last accessed May 1, 2015.
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12. Excalibur casino web site; http://www.excalibur.com/casino/, last accessed May 1, 2015.