Do you often ask yourself: where do I play to win big? What games do I need to play to walk away a winner at a casino? Statistics from many bodies of research indicate that huge online casino progressive jackpots are won as often as lottery jackpots on average. Each and every day, online casinos pay out winnings worth thousands, hundreds of thousands and at times, even millions.
It goes without saying that winning at an online casino can be a fun and in the rarest of times, a life-changing experience. However, you need to bear in mind that the house edge is always working against you. But by practicing conscientious gaming and sticking to the right games, you can actually maximize your winnings and lessen your losses.
Most big winners at online casinos play the maximum bet allowed which can easily result in massive wins. Playing big is tempting for high rollers but these high bets can bring about catastrophic losses as well so it’s crucial for you to hit the max bet button only when you feel like a lucky streak is coming on.
As touched upon briefly above, the only way to get your hands on seven-digit figures prizes at an online casino is by playing jackpot slots, which are also referred to as progressive slots. Jackpot slots take a tiny percentage of every spin and this percentage is then placed in the collective pot.
Casino players will be competing for the big prize, regardless of which online casino they're playing at. For example, Mega Moolah, a well-known powerhouse when it comes to jackpot slots, is available to play at many online casinos and every spin contributes towards the enormous jackpot prize. It can be won at any moment, which is why players looking for the big bucks opt for jackpot slots over anything else.
So keep that cap of confidence on and keep on saying: “Hey, what if today’s the day?” The day being the moment of that huge win that would change the course of your life forever. As it often happens, such prize-winning moments arrive completely out of the blue. Most big win stories begin with the lucky winner hitting the reels at an online casino just for the heck of it, not really having the faintest clue that lady luck is just around the bend.
Call it luck or recklessness, or perhaps a potent combination of both, but some people do risk large sums of money on the off chance of an enormous, life-altering win. And yes, it does happen, with some paydays so ridiculously huge they turn lives around for the better (in other cases, for the worst), turning ordinary people into millionaires in a matter of hours.
Some of the luckiest casino wins of all time have happened to ordinary people, many of them down on their luck. But luck always has a way of surprising everyone, although higher payouts do tend to come from the larger bets.
To celebrate these unique moments, let’s take a look at the biggest slot payouts in recorded history.
1) Mega Moolah Means Mega Bucks
If you were to take a look at the Guinness World Record book right this very moment, there you would find the name of Jon Heywood written in it. His unbelievable win of €17,879,645 (or $19m) happened on October 6, 2015, at the Betway Casino earned the lucky Britishman the title of the largest online slot jackpot owner ever. What’s more impressive is the feat happened a mere 25 minutes after he opened his very own online casino account.
At the time, the British soldier just recently came back from a tour of duty in Afghanistan and was working a minimum-wage job to pay the bills. He was watching television at home and thought of trying to win some money, so he signed up for an online casino. Heywood put in £30 and started spinning, betting conservatively and not going over £0.25 ($0.38) per spin.
His strategy was to bet on slot machines that offered progressive jackpots, landing on Mega Moolah, the slot known for its millionaire-maker capability.
After spinning for several minutes, Heywood realized that he had already accessed a bonus level and saw “a big wheel spinning.” It eventually landed on the jackpot and he realized he had just won, believing the prize to be in the region of £10,000 (or $15,000). But no, an astonishing eight-figure number showed up on the screen which meant Heywood had won $19 million, and all from a mere $0.38 spin.
2) Winning €17 Million From a Mere 25 Cents
An anonymous online punter redefined the meaning of “lucky” after betting
25 cents and getting €17,861,800 in return! The incredible win happened at Paf Casino on January 20, 2013, on the NetEnt Mega Fortune slot. When the lucky person hit the mega jackpot, he just did not know how to react: “It was completely unreal. I laughed and cried at the same time.”
The lucky player’s plans were to help his relatives and invest in a better vehicle. The ironic thing was that he had always been an ardent poker player, but after the massive win, we have no doubt in our minds that Mega Fortune changed his perspective about online slots.
3) Lacking Sleep Pays Off Big Time
Don’t you just hate it when the Sandman just won’t come around when you want it to? One player from Norway certainly did not mind. Back in September 2011, the Norwegian was trying to pass the time, spinning the reels of the popular
Mega Fortune slot by NetEnt and came away with a staggering €11,736,375 (or $13m)!
The win definitely certainly did not afford him any more sleep as the stunned punter stayed up until six in the morning, still reeling from the shock of the unexpected windfall. He wasn't the only one — Huw Thomas, head of Betsson Casino — was astonished and at the same time, honored that with such a huge win, they were going straight to the Guinness World Record greats.
4) Anything Can Happen
A Norwegian gambler who went by the name of Peter became an online casino winner by playing a progressive jackpot slot called Arabian Knights — and it was that fruit slot machine that made all his dreams come true! His winning streak netted him 11.7 million Euros, which translated to 38 million Norwegian Krone.
Peter played at the Betsson online casino which features the slogan, “Anything can happen.” Peter may have taken that to heart, and it was a good thing he did.
4) Chrismas Came for a Canadian
There’s a reason why Mega Moolah is beloved by punters from all over the world. Microgaming sought to create a jackpot slot that appealed to both high-rollers and the casual players. And for one lucky Canadian, Christmas really did come early. Marcus Goodwin was spinning the reels of the African Savannah themed slot when that one spin that all players are looking for finally came and won him a massive $11,633,898.
Afterward, Goodwin could not believe his good fortune, saying, “Wow, thank you so much! This is obviously life-changing! I cannot believe it! I will definitely be buying a nice big house and a vacation cottage! And taking my entire family on a first-class trip to Africa! This will mean great Christmas presents for everyone!”
5) New Zealander Hits It Big
A lucky player from New Zealand hit the huge Mega Moolah jackpot and brought in more than $10 million playing at Spin Palace Casino. The player made the call to remain anonymous and not reveal his identity for clear cut reasons, but we can guarantee that his colossal win changed his life forever.
6) Female Punter Wins Big on iPad
On August 28, 2016, a player known only by the initials D.P. won the largest progressive online jackpot ever hit on a mobile device. The player’s age and location remained undisclosed, but sources have shared that the punter was female.
The impressive jackpot amount of €7.9 million ($8.82 m) was won using an iPad device at Zodiac Casino. As was revealed by the operator, the player was only required to make a small £/$/€1 deposit!
7) The Hall of Gods Gift a Swede with a Huge Present
Back in November 2012, a Swedish player decided to give NetEnt’s Hall of Gods a try at the Unibet Casino. It turned out to be the biggest decision of her life as she went on to hit €7.6 million (or $8m) on the popular progressive slot and be rendered utterly speechless.
The lucky Swedish player went on to use her winnings to improve her lifestyle, which included paying off her house and loans, traveling in style and even purchasing a brand new car. Her jackpot marked the biggest win seen by the online casino at that point.
8) Mega Moolah for Man From New Zealand
On June 17, 2016, Rawiri Pou from New Zealand was Mega Moolah at Casinoland when he hit the jackpot for NZ$10,144,395.82 (or $7.4m). Rawiri was shocked by everything that just happened, saying, “I still can’t believe this is real. I’ve been in shock since I won and it is literally going to change my life. There is so much my family and I can do with this money and it couldn’t have come at a better time. We are so overwhelmed and happy.”
9) Australian Player Wins AU$10,423,223
On April 8, 2016, an anonymous punter from the Land Down Under had his life turned upside down when he hit a massive AU$10,423,223 ($7.8 million) jackpot on Microgaming’s The Dark Knight slot. The lucky player was enjoying the blockbuster-based slot at Spin Palace Casino.
10) Mega Riches for Greek Punter
In March 2009, Mega Moolah became one lucky Greek’s favorite slot when he hit €6.3 million (or $7m) at River Belle Casino. Georgios M, a business owner from Greece, became the winner of the largest Microgaming jackpot payout up until that moment. Here’s what he had to say on that happy occasion: “Do not lose hope; it’s a small moment that could change your life.”
You Never Know When Lady Luck is on Your Side
There are actually huge casino payouts happening all the time. For example, an anonymous man waiting for a basketball game at the Excalibur Casino won an incredible $39 million dollars. A woman visiting Vegas from Hawaii played the same slot machine for three hours with less than $100 before winning close to $9 million. Another woman won $680 on a Wheel of Fortune machine at the Palace Station Hotel, later to win $27 million in a Megabucks jackpot.
So who said one win ever has to be enough? A former owner of the Golden Nugget wrote of a video game developer called Mr. Royalty who walked out with close to $5 million, only to come back a week later to win an additional $1.5 million.
The point is you never when lady luck might be on your side. And you would never know if you don’t give online casinos a shot. So if you want to see if luck is smiling today, go and try your hand at many of the slots available to you! When you play smart and thoughtfully, you never know what might happen!
