There are several people who have won the biggest casino jackpots of all time. Among them are Cynthia Jay Brennan, Jon Heywood, and Elmer Sherwin. Read on to find out who they are and how they won such huge sums. If you’re new to the casino world, you might be surprised to know that you can win large amounts in your local casino! Here are a few of these people and their winnings.
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Elmer Sherwin
The Mirage Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas is where Elmer Sherwin won his $4.6 million jackpot in 1989 at the age of 76. The retiree borrowed $20 from his wife and played for 90 minutes in order to win the jackpot. Elmer Sherwin was a veteran from WWII. After spending nearly an hour in the casino, Elmer walked away with the money he had won, enough to take his wife out for a nice dinner.
In the years following the win, Elmer Sherwin spent his winnings from the previous year on vacations. He allocated $100 to play in non gamstop casinos every week. In the Grand Opening of the Mirage Hotel and Casino, he spent the money he had won that night. Later, he asked his wife for another $20 to gamble, and it paid off. That night, he hit his first jackpot of $4.6 million, and spent the rest on travel.
Cynthia Jay Brennan
In 2000, waitress Cynthia Jay Brennan won $35 million on a slot machine, making her the biggest slot machine winner in history. With the money, she quit her job, married her boyfriend, and took an extensive world tour. Unfortunately, she was involved in a car accident shortly after her win, and is paralyzed from the waist down. The money, however, has helped others in need.
It all started when the cocktail waitress at the Desert Inn in Las Vegas visited the casino after working a shift. She was saving for her upcoming wedding and decided to play the slots for her future mother-in-law. She chose the Megabucks slot machine, which was a progressive slot machine that would pay out the largest amounts of money each spin. This led to a huge win.
Don Johnson
Don Johnson has the biggest casino winnings of any man, ever. He has been visiting Las Vegas for 30 years and makes it there about six months a year. And in six months stretch, he won $15 million from three hotel casinos in Atlantic City.
Caesars Entertainment won’t let him play blackjack in their casinos, but he does get a chance to visit them. Johnson was winning $5,000 to $10,000 per hand when he finally hit it big. After winning the $140,000, Johnson poured out the money by giving out thousands of chips to his entourage and bartenders. This streak was captured on the casinos’ overhead cameras, and Johnson began to spray champagne in nightclubs.
The winnings Johnson made were so huge that the casino management called Johnson’s boss. However, Johnson cleverly planned his escapade so that his boss would be in London at the time. Although many thought he was just counting cards, Johnson had a unique system that allowed him to beat the casinos. He said that he was beating the odds of playing in the Atlantic City casinos, but he was actually changing the odds of the games in his favor.
Jon Heywood
A former British soldier has become the latest person to make history with a huge casino win. Jon Heywood won $18 million on Mega Moolah in October 2015. After playing the casino game for only 25 minutes, Heywood had already won $1 million, but a favorable exchange rate allowed him to double his winnings. His windfall was also bigger when converted into euro. Previously, the biggest casino win had been EUR17,861,813 by an anonymous Finnish player in 2013.
After receiving the news that he had won, Heywood didn’t immediately tell his family and friends. He wanted to wait until he was certain of the win. Once he had it, he bought a home for his parents in a nice neighborhood. His father had lung and heart diseases and they were steadily worsening. Heywood also took a much-deserved vacation and bought a new car.
Johanna Heundl
The largest casino jackpot was won in May 2002 by a retired printer from Covina, California. Johanna Heundl won $22.6 million on a Megabucks slot machine at Bally’s casino. She was just a first-time gambler and decided to play with a bet of $170. She soon realized that her decision paid off: she won $22.6 million.
Joanna Heundl’s win was made possible by the loyalty program she was part of at Bally’s Las Vegas hotel. She was a member of a casino club and had the option of staying two nights for free. This also came with $100 in free play. After putting her money into the machine, she decided to go out to breakfast and play a few more times. She ended up with an extra $20 in her pocket.
Katrina Bookman
One woman is winning big at a New York casino. Katrina Bookman hit a $42.9 million jackpot while playing the “Sphinx Slot Machine” at the Resorts World Casino. She was so excited she decided to take a selfie with the glowing game screen. But then casino personnel told her that the win was an error and she would have to leave the casino. Bookman hired an attorney named Alan Ripka and filed a lawsuit against Genting New York LLC.
The casino said it was not responsible for the malfunction and offered her a steak dinner instead of her $43.1 million. When the story broke in the fall, Bookman’s winnings made national headlines. When she returned to claim her prize, the casino said she was entitled to $43 million because it was a progressive jackpot. Bookman’s lawsuit cites mental anguish and lost wages.
