The biggest gambling wins

Every gambler dreams of winning THE BIG ONE. A massive poker pot, a winning streak at the blackjack table, getting the right number on the roulette wheel with a huge stake and, of course, hitting that progressive slots jackpot.

Online Casino Review has already spoken about some of the biggest wins at online casinos, but we were wondering about big wins across the world of gambling – land-based casinos, online casinos and even lotteries.

Turns out that there have been some truly insane winnings.

Five of the biggest gambling wins in the world

5. Kerry Packer – between US$20 million and US$40 million

Kerry Packer was an Australian billionaire media tycoon who had a passion for gambling. His wins are legendary as are some of his losses. It is reported that he lost £15 million pounds playing roulette at one sitting.

But he is just as well known for his wins, the biggest one being somewhere between US$20 million and US$40 million while spending time gambling in Las Vegas.

4. Cynthia Jay-Brennan – US$34.95 million

What should have been a story of incredible good fortune turned into a tragic tale of misfortune for Cynthia Jay-Brennen.

During birthday celebrations for her mother she decided to try her luck on the MegaBucks slot machine. Nine spins later she hit the US$34.95 million jackpot.

But her dreams of travelling the world were ended when a drunk driver smashed into her car a few weeks later, killing her sister and paralysing Cynthia from the chest down.

3. Ethan Miller – US$39.7 million

This is one of those stories where luck just shines on someone. Ethan Miller, a 25-year-old software engineer, decided to have a spin on the Excalibur Casino slot machines while waiting for a basketball game to start.

And walked away US$39.7 million richer.

2. Archie Karas – US$40 million

This is a tale as legendary as Las Vegas itself. Archie Karas, a high stakes gambler, had lost everything but US$50. He travelled to Vegas, borrowed R10,000 from a friend and went on to win US$40 million over a three-year winning streak.

But easy come, easy go as they say.

Rather than calling it he pushed his luck too far and began losing: over three weeks he lost US$10 million at craps, US$17 million at a baccarat game, US$2 million playing poker until eventually he had nothing left.

And then he was banned for life from playing at any Nevada casinos.

Remember fellow players – it’s always better to walk away and try your luck another day.

1. Manuel Franco – US$768.4 million

This is not a casino win but rather a lottery win – but it is still the biggest single win of all time with a known winner! While there has been a bigger total win (US$1.58 BILLION) this was split between three winners and there is an anonymous single winner of the US$1.537 BILLION Mega Millions jackpot but we can’t track him or her down so…

24-year-old Manuel Franco was a resident of Wisconsin who bought US$10 worth of Powerball lottery tickets because he “felt lucky”. Boy, was he right!

While the payouts for lotteries and progressive jackpots are the big daddies of the gambling world, there have been some big winnings in other games as well:

Blackjack – US$20 million

That man Kerry Packer was at it again in 1997 as he played 8 blackjack hands simultaneously, and bet up to US$250,000 per hand, to walk away with US$20 million – less the US$1 million tip he gave to the dealers!

Roulette – US$2 million

In 2008, retail mogul Phillip Green walked away with the equivalent of a cool US$2 million after playing roulette in Mayfair, London.

Baccarat – US$13 million

And it’s Kerry Packer once again. This time the Ozzie punter took US$13 million playing baccarat at the MGM Grand.

OCR is amazed at the luck that some people seem to have. And also at the money others have to gamble with.

These stories are amazing purely because it shows Lady Fortune smiling down. When we play, and when other passionate online casino players hit up their favourite games, it is just as much about the fun as it is about the winnings.

We can’t all be lucky, all the time. So, remember, gamble responsibly. Set a budget. Stick to it. And walk away to play another day.

If you want to try out some of our favourite online casinos and games, check out our reviews or visit one of these top online casinos that welcome South African players:

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