When you land a bonus on a slot machine, what sort of return are you hoping for?
Sure, we all dream of hitting the Grand Jackpot, but let’s be real—any decent multiplier can feel like a win. A 10x return? Meh. A 20x payout? Now we’re talking! A 50x multiplier? That’s one for the books.
But how about 1,332,422x?
Yes, you read that right—over 1.3 million times your original bet. Now, what if I also told you that the bet was 40 cents? That’s the kind of win that sounds like it belongs in a movie.
But it’s not fiction. That’s exactly what happened to Jonathan Hamrick, a lucky BetMGM Casino player from West Virginia, who turned a humble 40-cent bet into an astonishing $532,969 jackpot while playing the slot game Bison Fury this week.
Now, while we all know the math of slot machines (spoiler alert: the house usually wins), we can’t help but love a feel-good story here at PokerNews.
Reacting to his win, Mr. Hamrick, a grad student, told BetMGM, “So I was sitting in class, and I figured I had a couple of extra minutes to get on and play, so I logged on, hit spin a couple of times, and all of a sudden it switched games. I clicked the button, and it said, ‘Congratulations, you’ve won $532,000!‘”
I clicked the button, and it said ‘Congratulations, you’ve won $532,000!’
– Jackpot Winner
He added, “I was in disbelief for a while, but once it hit my account, it started getting real.“
When asked what he’d do with the money, Jonathan said, “I don’t have to be in debt anymore—that’s pretty nice. Grad school is expensive, and I had to take out loans. Now, I don’t have that burden.“
And the excitement doesn’t stop at the jackpot.
Since Jonathan’s jackpot win exceeded $500,000, BetMGM treated him to an all-expenses-paid luxury getaway to Las Vegas as part of their partnership with MGM Resorts. His destination? The iconic ARIA Resort & Casino, where he enjoyed five-star accommodation, dining at world-class celebrity chef restaurants, pampering spa treatments, and even a shopping spree at high-end boutiques.
And to top it all off, in true Vegas fashion, Jonathan enjoyed a celebratory oversized check presentation in the BetMGM Sportsbook at ARIA on October 17. Not bad for 40 cents, eh?
While Jonathan’s 1.3 million times jackpot might be the most jaw-dropping of the year, it’s far from the only headline-grabbing win at BetMGM Casino in 2024.
Back in August, PokerNews reported on a New Jersey player who made history by winning $6.5 million on the progressive jackpot game Fruit Blaster, setting the record for the largest payout ever in U.S. online casino history. Now, with Jonathan’s 40-cent winning spin added to the mix, it seems like BetMGM just can’t stay out of the headlines.
Reacting to the latest jackpot winner, Michael Vricella, Director of VIP Casino, BetMGM, said, “Over the course of this past year, we’ve had a multitude of jackpots won, we’ve had the largest jackpot win in the history of iGaming. Just this month, we’ve had four jackpots all over $500,000.“
“Finding out Jonathan is a grad school student and that this win will not only help with his education but also further him on… we’re always happy and always glad to celebrate our winners.“
Note: Both images courtesy of BetMGM.
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