The Biggest and Most Famous Casino Wins in History

For 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. While most wins are modest, every now and then, someone defies the odds in spectacular fashion, walking away with a fortune that becomes the stuff of legend. Here are some of the most famous and largest casino wins in history.

The Excalibur Jackpot

The largest slot machine jackpot in history was won in March 2003 at the Excalibur Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The anonymous winner, a 25-year-old software engineer, was just passing time on the Megabucks slot. After feeding about $100 into the machine, he hit the jackpot of a lifetime. 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.

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.

How did he do it? It wasn’t by counting cards. Johnson, a savvy businessman, negotiated special rules with the casinos before he even started playing. He secured a 20% discount on his losses, a very high maximum bet, and other rule changes that significantly reduced the house edge. This combination of perfect play and casino (atuttavita.com) negotiated advantages gave him a small but crucial edge over the house. After his epic winning streak, casinos became much more cautious about the deals they offered high rollers.

The Double Megabucks Winner

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. Sherwin generously donated much of his second win to charity, including relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina victims.