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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. These stories of incredible luck serve as a testament to the unpredictable nature of gambling. Here are some of the most famous and largest casino wins in history.

The Megabucks Jackpot: A Software Engineer’s $39.7 Million Win

The stuff of dreams became reality for one man at the Excalibur casino. A young programmer from L.A. put some money into a Megabucks machine to kill time before a game. His relatively small investment of $100 resulted in the ultimate prize. The win amounted to an incredible $39.7 million, paid out over 25 years. He wisely opted to keep his identity private, becoming a legend in the process.

Beating the House at its Own Game

Some of the most famous wins are a result of skill, strategy, and negotiation. Don Johnson, a corporate executive, famously won over $15 million from a trio of Atlantic City casinos in just six months.

How did he do it? It wasn’t by counting cards. His strategy was to leverage his status as a whale to get better rules. These included a 20% ”loss rebate” (where the casino would refund him 20% of his losses if they reached a certain amount), the ability to bet up to $100,000 per hand, and favorable rules like splitting and doubling down on any four cards. With these conditions, he played with a positive expectation, a rare feat in casino gaming. His incredible run caused some casinos to change their high-roller policies, and he was eventually banned from many establishments.

The Double Megabucks Winner

Winning a massive jackpot once is a statistical miracle. Winning it twice is almost unbelievable. But that’s exactly what happened to World War II veteran Elmer Sherwin. In 1989, at the age of 76, he won a $4.6 million Megabucks jackpot at The Mirage in Las Vegas, just 10 hours after the casino opened. He didn’t stop playing, hoping for a second miracle. His persistence paid off in 2005 when he hit another Megabucks jackpot for over $21 million. Sherwin generously donated much of his second win to charity, including relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina victims.