Page 18 - March 2008 • Southern California Gaming Guide

MarthaC.wona$200,243BaronaMegaPower Irene won a $179,006 Double Colossal Coin Payout Progressive on December 16th. Jackpot at Valley View Casino on October 10th.
by Maya Winkler
Imagine the day when you become a big jackpot winner. What will it be like? Most of the Jackpot Winners on these pages had no idea that they would be going home from the casino thousands of dollars richer. Not in their wildest dreams.
jackpot at the casino. Some lucky players shown on these pages won $100,000-plus jackpots—some of them on wide-area progressive slots, like Wheel of Fortune® and other slots that are linked on a network of Native American casinos and accrue to over $100,000—and sometimes in the millions.
IGT MegaJackpots have produced more than 1,000 millionaires and have awarded more than $3.8 billion in major jackpots.
MegaJackpots games have also produced two million-dollar-plus jackpots on the same day on numerous occasions. ere have been well over 500 MegaJackpots winners in California, who have won a total of over $300 million. All IGT MegaJackpots are paid in annual installments upon veri cation, except MegaJackpots Instant Winners and Rapid Riches MegaJackpotsTM games, which are paid in their entirety upon veri cation.
Neva won $113,589 in Soboba Casino’s Super Hot Jackpot Progressive on December 11th.
Fanny won $20,355 playing Touch Easy Keno at Sycuan Casino on October 17th.
And what is a big jackpot? For this article we decided to feature winners who had won jackpots of $10,000 up to $3.2 million, $3,216,483.96 to be exact. at was a California record-winning jackpot, the most money ever won on a penny slot in the State.
Record Penny Slot Jackpot
On June 4th 2007, Robert Wilkie, Jr., and his wife started their day at a casino resort where they had spent the night. Two times a month the Paci c Beach couple accepts a comped room at their favorite casino resort to play and have fun. A retired Navy veteran and retired San Diego County employee,
Robert W. won a $3,216,483 Star WarsTM MegaJackpot® at Casino Pauma on June 4th.
Marty won a $71,132 jackpot playing $1 Party Spin at Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino.
Bob, 77, and his wife like to play in North San Diego County casinos. eir monthly routine is to go on from the casino resort to another one of their favorite casinos, Casino Pauma to play. On that Tuesday in June, the Wilkies arrived at Casino Pauma around 12:05 p.m. Bob liked and always played the same Star WarsTM A New Hope penny slot at Casino Pauma.
A ve-reel, 30-line, 300-coin (maximum bet $3) penny slot, Star Wars is a MegaJackpots® Instant WinnersTM game that o ers a top jackpot that starts at a thrilling $1 million and increments until someone wins. e original lm and audio clips—in addition to classic characters, lightsaber duels and battling starships— almost come to life in the game’s vibrant
3d-like incredible video bonus rounds. Bob always played maximum bet on the slot, and had played that same slot on 35 separate days over a period of about a year and half. On June 4th he played $200 in his favorite slot, then decided to add one more hundred dollar bill. And within ve minutes, he got the surprise of his life when he lined up the ve Star Wars symbols and won a whopping $3,216,483 progressive!
Emma won a $95,499 Colossal Coin Jackpot at Valley View Casino on September 22nd.
Emma C. won $99,999 playing Royal Touch at Sycuan Casino on September 24th.
He had played $240 within three-quarters of an hour before he hit the biggest penny jackpot in California.
“I had no idea how much I won,” said Wilkie, a good-natured grandfather of three and great-grandfather of two. “I thought it
was only a couple hundred dollars.”
Since his jackpot win, he says, not much has
changed. He paid o his Paci c Beach home, and helped his family with their homes and other needs. It was certainly another thrill whenhereceivedthecheckfortheentire$3.2 million. A MegaJackpots Instant Winner, his payment was in a one-time amount. And he says he and his wife still play twice a month at their favorite casinos.
MegaJackpots® Winners
A $3.2 million jackpot is not the norm, but
most of us would be happy to win a $1,000
Virginia won a $40,000 jackpot playing $1 Video Poker at Harrahs’s Rincon Casino & Resort.
Page 18
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
March 2008