Casinos are usually associated with bright lights, luxury, and of course, ridiculous amounts of spending – which never seems to stop for some. With this in mind, here are thebiggest jackpot wins from those who bet it all and won big from their risk taking:
Charles Wells
The 19th century is considered a real high point in the popularly of gambling, for it was on a single night in 1891 when Charles Wells managed to win one million francs at the Monte Carlo. He later returned and won an additional one million francs; highlighting his success. Unfortunately, it was Wells’ continuous gambling that lead to his downfall, as he was eventually arrested for business scams and sentenced to eight years imprisonment. Wells died in 1992.
Don Johnson
Way back in 2011, corporate executive Don Johnson cleverly took advantage of the casino discounts caused by the recession and negotiated multiple alternations to standard blackjack rules, including: a making the dealers stay on soft 17, 20% rebate on losses (20 cents to every dollar) exceeding $500,000 (an estimated £340,000) and using six decks. Ultimately, these changes resulted in Johnson walking away with approximately £10.3 million in winnings – an amount that drastically affected casino profits. Johnson was subsequently banned from Caesars casino to prevent him from pulling a tactic like this again. I wonder what kind of reception he’d get from online casinos, such as paddy power casino?
The Anonymous Man
An unknown 25-year-old male from Los Angeles managed to win $39 million (26 million) at Excalibur whilst passing the time before a basketball game. However, instead of cashing his winnings instantly, the anonymous gambler decided to be sensible and opt for yearly instalments of $1.4 million for the next 25 years.
Johanna Huendl
Then 74-year-old Johanna Huendl was on her way to eat breakfast, she decided out of the blue to take a chance on a Megabucks slot machine. After gambling an estimated $170.00, Huendl managed to win a whopping $22.6 million (£15.4 million). Upon collecting her winnings, Huendl hilariously misread the total as $2 million, although she claimed this would have been more than enough to take home.
Ashley Revell
Whilst in a local pub, Ashley Revell jokingly turned to his friends and said “wouldn’t it be great if we went to Las Vegas and bet everything on one spin”?Well, this is exactly what he did. Revell began selling his possessions, including a Rolex watch, some golf clubs and his much-loved BMW. After everything was sold, Revell took the leap of faith and wired over £76,840 from the UK to the Plaza Casino and Hotel. Upon arrival his chips were ready and waiting for him. After pondering his hasty decision, Revell placed his entire fortune on 7 Red, which was exactly where the ball landed. His total winnings amounted to a respectable £154,000.
Joseph Jagger
Known as the man who broke Monte Carol, Joseph Jagger – a former employee of the cotton mechanics industry, randomly decided to visit Beaux-Arts casino, where he bribed six clerks into nothing the results of multiple roulette wheel spins. The results uncovered a clear bias, with the numbers, 7, 8, 9, 17, 18, 22, 28 and 29 appearing too often when the random nature of a spin is taken into consideration. Jagger used this information to his advantage and placed his bets accordingly, which earned him a collective total of £260,000 in winnings. His manipulation meant he could retire from cotton mechanics and invest the money into property development.
Cynthia Jay Brennan
Sadly, the story of soon-to-be married cocktail waitress Cynthia Jay Brennan is one of tragedy. In 200, Brennan travelled to Las Vegas for her future mother-in-law’s birthday celebration, and it was here where her life took a drastic turn. Uncharacteristically, Brennan decided to gamble on a Mega-Bucks slot machine, where she managed to win an incredible £23.9 million. Her incredible winnings allowed Brennan and her future husband to marry in style and make plans to travel the world
However, disaster fell a few weeks later, when Brennan and her sister Lela Jay were hit by a drunk driver at a red light – an accident that tragically killed Lela Jay and shattered Brennan’s spine, leaving her completely paralysed from the upper chest down. After the accident, both Brennan and her husband claimed they would give the money back in a heartbeat if it meant they could return to their former lifestyle.
