This week’s casino news mostly focuses on a couple of people who had a very happy holiday season after they collected million-dollar wins in Atlantic City and Las Vegas casinos. We’ll start there and leave the Grinchy story for last as we recap this week’s key casino headlines:
Poker Player Turns $5 Bet Into $1-Million Windfall
The American dream is alive and well.
A retired 85-year-old American man has done what every casino player dreams of: hitting it big. Harold McDowell and his wife were playing at the Borgata Hotel Casino in Atlantic City when he decided to play a small bet on Six-Card Bonus in a game of Three Card Poker. Little did he know that the cards that he’d flip over would be a straight flush of diamonds. What were the odds of hitting that hand? About 20 million to one. As a result, his $5 bet turned into a million-dollar payout.
Talk about a lucky week for McDowell as his wife, who had been battling liver and color cancer, was cleared by doctors just days before. At 85, McDowell said he plays to give most of his winnings to his children and he might treat his wife to a cruise.
Woman Wins $1 Million On Wheel Of Fortune Slot
The ever-popular Wheel of Fortune slot machine delivered a generous Christmas gift for one lucky lady. Playing at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas’ City Center, the guest won $1,023,743 while spinning through the slot. She was there for a while as the win came on her 960th spin.
Not only is the game popular because of the familiarity with the popular TV show, it’s known for big paydays. In September, a man who was in Vegas celebrating his 30th birthday won $1.4 million playing the same game (different machine) at The Cosmopolitan. In May, another player also collected at The Cosmopolitan, landing the right alignment on the Wheel of Fortune reels to take home a $1.3-million jackpot.
No further details were provided by The Cosmopolitan casino in regards to this week’s winner as she asked to remain anonymous and protect her privacy.
Slovakia’s President Nixes Online Gambling Legislation
While it looked like Slovakia could be a potential new market for online gaming, President Andrej Kiska has put an end to those hopes. The president has decided against approving online gambling regulations (and therefore online gambling), which had been approved by the legislature earlier in December. His logic is that there aren’t enough consumer protections in the new bill and that concerns him.
While some of his criticisms were legitimate, it’s unclear whether he’s just putting the brakes on this idea until certain aspects of the legalization can be corrected or whether this is his way of keeping Slovakia out of the online gambling market. The legislature now has the opportunity to amend the gambling bill as per the president’s criticisms or vote to override his veto, which requires two-thirds support from the National Council.