Slot games are highly randomized, involve a lot of chance and luck, and can give you some pretty huge rewards. This is especially true, given that you can win millions of dollars if the stars align in your favor.
This easy-to-follow article will show you the top 10 biggest slot machines ever and provide you with some tips on how to increase your winnings and choose an adequate casino!
So, without further ado, let’s jump straight into the action!
What Were the Top 10 Biggest Slot Machine Wins?
For a brief overview of the top 10 biggest slot machine wins of all time, check out the table below:
| Winner | Amount | Location |
| #10. Anonymous | $14.3 Million | Rampart Casino, Las Vegas |
| #9. Jonathan Heywood | $17.24 Million | Online Casino |
| #8. Anonymous | $17.3 Million | M Resort, Henderson |
| #7. Elmer Sherwin | $21 Million | Cannery Casino & Hotel, Las Vegas |
| #6. Anonymous | $21.3 Million | Caesars Palace, Las Vegas |
| #5. Joanna Heundl | $22.6 Million | Bally’s, Las Vegas |
| #4. Anonymous | $24 Million | Online Casino |
| #3. Anonymous | $27.5 Million | Palace Station Resort, Las Vegas |
| #2. Cynthia Jay-Brennan | $34.9 Million | Desert Inn Casino, Las Vegas |
| #1. Anonymous | $39.7 Million | Excalibur Casino, Las Vegas |
Top 10 Biggest Slot Machines Ranked
Here’s how and when the top 10 biggest slot machine wins ever happened!
#10. Anonymous | $14.3 Million | Rampart Casino, Las Vegas
The number 10 on our list is held by an anonymous player who won a jackpot of $14,282,544 in December 2013 by just putting in $20!
The best part of it all? The lucky man didn’t even plan on gambling that night. He was just showing his friend the Rampart Casino and then decided to put $20 in just for the sake of it. Little did he know that he’d win $14.3 million!
Yet, what makes this huge win even cooler is that the anonymous winner was incredibly generous and donated most of his winnings to his church and some charities.
#9. Jonathan Heywood | $17.25 Million | Online Casino
Next up, we have Jonathan Heywood, who, in October 2015, bet 50 cents and won a huge jackpot of $17,25. This lucky soldier was playing Mega Moolah progressive slots, for which the whole country was waiting to give out a jackpot.
Namely, the jackpot in progressive slots increases a little bit each time a player places a wager until a lucky punter scoops the lot.
In this case, the lucky punter was Jonathan Heywood, who was also generous and used a large portion of his winnings to help his ill father.
#8. Anonymous | $17.3 Million | M Resort, Henderson
Again, we have an anonymous winner who was also playing progressive slots.
The lucky man went to M Resort in Handerson on December 15, 2012, because he had free play credits to use up. Little did he know that he was about to win a life-changing jackpot of $17,329,817.
He sat down at the machine, not expecting to win a jackpot, and was so focused on the game that he didn’t even notice when he won the huge amount of money. Instead, a player beside him had to point out to him that he had hit the jackpot!
This story only goes to show that you should never forget to take advantage of your casino bonuses and free credits.
#7. Elmer Sherwin | $21 Million | Cannery Casino & Hotel, Las Vegas
The story of Elmer Sherwin, a World War II veteran, is as unique as it gets because it features not one but two jackpots!
The lucky veteran visited the Cannery Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas in 1989, a few days after it had just opened. He played Megabucks slots, ran out of money, and then borrowed $20 from his then-wife, with which he won a $4.6 million jackpot!
This took Elmer Sherwin only 90 minutes to do and went down as the largest slot jackpot win ever recorded at the Cannery Casino & Hotel. That is until Elmer visited it again 16 years later.
In 2005, Elmer decided to visit Cannery Casino & Hotel and play Megabucks slots again. He bet the maximum of $3 and earned himself a jaw-dropping $21 million. Experts say the odds of this happening are trillions to one!
#6. Anonymous | $21.3 Million | Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
The next jackpot winner on our list has also played Megabucks, a slot machine that seems to give out huge winnings left and right.
In 1999, an anonymous business consultant wagered only $10 on a Megabucks slot machine in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, and won $21,3 million. Reports say that it was actually $20 million because of inflation, but either way, this is a life-changing sum.
There isn’t much information on what the anonymous man did with the winning funds, but it’s certain that his life was 21 million times better after his fortunate visit to Caesars Palace.
#5. Joanna Heundl | $22.6 Million | Bally’s, Las Vegas
Two decades ago, in May 2002, Joanna Heundl was playing slot machines at Bally’s in Las Vegas. Her two daughters gifted her two nights at the resort and $100 for free play.
Once she went through the $100, she decided to put in another $100 and give it a go before she gets breakfast. At one point, she had around $20 left in the machine and considered leaving it as she was extremely hungry.
But, instead of getting up for a snack, Joanna went for another spin and won $22 million and an additional jackpot of $3,000. In total, she won $22,618,156!
#4. Anonymous | $24 Million | Online Casino
Now we have another story that takes place at an online casino.
In 2013, a Finnish player who was generally a fan of slots decided to try his luck at slot machines. He had some change in his pockets, so he placed a bet of only $0.25. This $0.25 spin has won him a ridiculously big jackpot of $24 million.
To this date, this jackpot is the record holder as the biggest jackpot slot machine win in the history of online casinos.
#3. Anonymous | $27.5 Million | Palace Station Resort, Las Vegas
The #3 on our list goes to the anonymous punter who played—yes, you’ve guessed it—Megabucks.
The retired flight attendant was playing at Palace Station Resort in Las Vegas in 1998, with the original idea to bet with a budget of $100. But she had the itch to insert $200 more, which won her a staggering jackpot of $27.582,539.
To top it all off, the lucky woman scored big again only a few months later, winning $680,000 by playing the Wheel of Fortune slot machine at the same casino!
#2. Cynthia Jay-Brennan | $34.9 Million | Desert Inn Casino, Las Vegas
Cynthia Jay-Brennan worked as a cocktail waitress in 2000, and one day she decided to drop by the Desert Inn Casino in Vegas. At that point in her life, she was saving up for her wedding, but she wanted to celebrate her future mother-in-law’s birthday by playing some slots.
She started with $21, which she lost after seven spins, as the betting maximum was only $3. The lucky lady decided to go for two more spins, which brought her a jackpot slightly shy of $35 million. Keep in mind that she managed to change her life in under an hour of playing slot machines.
But, unfortunately, this story doesn’t end well because Cynthia and her sister got into a car accident a few weeks later. She got paralyzed, and her sister didn’t survive. After the accident, Cynthia donated the majority of her winnings to charities that help disabled people.
#1. Anonymous | $39.7 Million | Excalibur Casino, Las Vegas
Last but not least, we have another anonymous winner who holds the record for the biggest slot win in history. Of course, he played nothing other than Megabucks.
The lucky protagonist of this story is a software engineer who was hanging out at Excalibur Casino in 2003. He decided to bet $100 on Megabucks and then won an astonishing $39.7 million.
This is the biggest slot jackpot ever won, and we can only hope we see this record beaten in the future!
Key Takeaways
Although they are very rare, slot machine jackpots can change lives for sure.
Some people think that they can beat the slots by using tricks, but you need to keep in mind that these machines are completely based on chance. So, can you be the next Elmer or Joanna and win millions? You’ll never know until you try your luck!
Rachel Pine
Slots Expert
Rachel Pine is our slots expert who has worked in the online gambling industry for 10+ years. Over the course of her career, Rachel has reviewed more than 3,000 slots.