What is the favored outcome of every player – a jackpot win! Yes, though a small victory is happily accepted, everyone wants to win the biggest prize the game has to offer. Some people around the world have had their dreams come true. Some had the skills to play the game, while lady luck smiled at others.
Let us have a look at some players who went on to become the most prominent casino winners.
- Elmer Sherwin
On probability scales, winning a jackpot is a one in a million chance. Going by these calculations, we can easily consider Elmer Sherwin the luckiest in the world! Why? Because instead of letting him be happy with one, his lady luck helped him win two jackpots. Sherwin registered his first win of $4.6 million on a megabucks Slot machine in 1989. Sixteen years later, he tried again in 2005 on a machine in Cannery Casino and won a massive payoff of over $21 million. He wanted to record a third win, but unfortunately, he passed away in March 2007.
- Don Johnson
Referred to as ‘the don of gambling,’ Don Johnson is a professional Blackjack player, who outplayed the Atlantic City casinos for over $15 million in over six months in 2011. In the early 2000s, he established the Heritage Development, which uses computer simulations for wagering in Horse Racing. During the financial crisis of 2008, which made casinos desperate for high rollers, Johnson offered his high stakes but negotiated several rules for a moderate playing advantage in Blackjack. He finally won a massive amount – $15.1 million – from three Atlantic City casinos (Ceaser, Borgatta, Tropicana), hurting the casino profits.
- Archie Karas
Anargyros Nicholas Karabourniotis, popularly known as Archie Karas, is a Greek American player acclaimed for the most notable and longest winning streak in the casino history. He drove to Vegas with $50 in his pocket and converted a $10,000 to approximately $17 million playing poker and pool, thus registering the famous run. Even the popular poker genius Stu Ungar lost $1 million to this skillful, Greek player.
However, in September 2013, Archie was arrested for fraud and faced probation for three years from casino gaming.
- Kerry Packer
Luck sometimes favours the curious, and that is what happened with Kerry Packer. He played Baccarat and Blackjack out of curiosity and won an estimated amount between $20 to $40 million. The exact amount of the big win remains unknown.
- Young Engineer
A 25-year-old Software Engineer from LA won a phenomenal amount of $39,713,982.25 when the Slot machine hit the jackpot. It is considered one of the biggest wins in Vegas. To guard his privacy, he maintains his anonymity and addresses himself as a ‘Young Engineer.’
- John Tippin
John Tippin won a record $12 million Megabucks. In 2001, John also published his book, “I did it! My Life After Megabucks,” where he describes his life before and after the jackpot win. So, not only did he become a mega winner, he became an author. The catchy title entices even the non-players to read his life-story!
- Nishimura
Amy Nishimura, a 71-year-old Hawaii dealer, hit a jackpot of $8.9 million through the game machine. She was unaware of the tips and tricks of playing! But, that is no obstacle when lady luck is on your side. Her big prize makes us realize; there is no age bar for playing and winning.
- Beverly Whitten
Ms Beverly hit the jackpot through Slot machines called ‘Golden Chambers’ in Las Vegas. She won a whopping amount of $3.7 million. The ease of playing the Slots and the vast amounts you can win is surely tempting!
- World record of an online slot machine
A Finnish man, who did not reveal his identity, won $24 million through an online Slot machine. He had only placed a bet of 25 cents. The odds – 25 cents for $24 million – will surely impress even the skeptics. This win is considered the biggest in the history of an online casino ever.
- Jackpot on iPad
An online female player made a record win of $8.82 million in Zodiac Casino through her iPad. The player name and details have been kept anonymous as per the demand of the player. The success was recorded over a $1 deposit.
Final thoughts
The idea behind highlighting the wins of the most prominent casino players in the world is to showcase that people from around the world can win big! You can play games online, but do not be in a hurry to sign up. Research the casino on review sites and understand what others are saying about them before leaping.