The Biggest and Most Famous Casino Wins in History

For casino most people, a trip to the casino is a form of entertainment where the dream of a life-changing win is part of the thrill. Though large wins are rare, casino some lucky individuals have hit jackpots so massive they’ve gone down in history. Here are some of the most famous and largest casino wins in history.

The Excalibur Jackpot

The stuff of dreams became reality for one man at the Excalibur casino. A 25-year-old software engineer from Los Angeles decided to play the famous Megabucks slot machine while waiting for a basketball game to start. After feeding about $100 into the machine, he hit the jackpot of a lifetime. The life-altering sum was so huge that it was structured as an annuity, paying him $1.5 million a year for 25 years. The winner chose to remain anonymous, and his story remains the ultimate testament to the incredible, albeit minuscule, chance of hitting it big on a slot machine.

Don Johnson: The Man Who “Broke” Atlantic City’s Blackjack Tables

Some of the most famous wins are a result of skill, strategy, and negotiation. Between 2010 and 2011, a man named Don Johnson went on an unprecedented winning streak, taking three Atlantic City casinos for a combined total of over $15 million playing blackjack.

He didn’t use card counting to achieve this feat. Johnson, a savvy businessman, casino negotiated special rules with the casinos before he even started playing. These negotiated perks, including a generous loss rebate, effectively tilted the odds in his favor. By combining these advantageous rules with perfect basic strategy, he was able to shift the mathematical edge slightly in his favor. He won so much that he is no longer welcome to play at many of the world’s top casinos.

Elmer Sherwin: The Man Who Struck Lightning Twice

The odds of winning a major lottery-style jackpot are astronomical, but winning it twice seems impossible. This is the incredible story of Elmer Sherwin. He first won $4.6 million on a Megabucks machine in 1989 at the grand opening of The Mirage. He used the money to travel the world, but he continued to play the Megabucks slots, dreaming of a second win. Sixteen years later, at 92 years old, lightning struck again, and he won a second Megabucks jackpot, this time for $21.1 million. A true philanthropist, he gave a significant part of his second win to those in need.