Slot machines have long been the favorite choice for most gamblers worldwide. That includes the masses of players that descend each year on the US’s top two gambling destinations, Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
While many now choose to play online slots in NJ instead of visiting brick-and-mortar casinos in AC, the city still welcomes 27 million visitors a year. Plenty of these arrive in the city hoping for a jackpot win that will change their lives forever.
With this many people playing, there are plenty of jackpots paid out each month in the iconic city. And while many of these are enough to get anybody excited, some simply leave you astounded.
Below, we’ve listed the biggest slot machine wins ever paid out in AC. Although little information is known about the lucky winners, we were able to dig up the exact amounts they won, what casino they were at, and what machines paid them out. This was made possible due to the meticulous record keeping of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.
So, without further ado, let’s dive right into what we managed to uncover.
1. $10.01 million
As one of the few wins on this list that includes information about the winner, the highest jackpot ever won in AC goes to Josephine Crawford. The retired waitress was trying her luck on a nickel slot in April 2006 that is well known for paying out big, Megabucks.
Playing at Harrah’s casino, Josephine bagged the top progressive jackpot worth a staggering $10,010,113.48. Spokespersons from International Gaming Technologies (who manufacture the slot) said that Crawford’s jackpot had been growing steadily for almost three years.
The lucky winner, who had been a regular at the casino for several years, said she planned to start dipping into her newfound wealth on a European trip with her family.
2. $8.55 million
The second-largest win by any slot machine was recorded in August 1994. There is little information regarding this win aside from the fact that it totaled a generous $8,545,508. Sadly, there is no record of which casino this win was claimed at.
What information we could find is that this big win also took place while playing on a Megabucks machine. This proves that this popular progressive jackpot game has been paying out in the city for years.
3. $3.84 million
The next big win on the list occurred on December 30, 2012. The win, which took place at Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa, gained the lucky player a payday of $3,843,950.95. Though there is no information available regarding who the winner was, it’s safe to say that visiting one of NJ’s best-rated casinos worked out well for them.
What is known about the slot that paid out big is it’s one of the most popular games in the IGT library, Wheel of Fortune. This slot has proven to be one of the best in terms of paying hefty amounts. Strangely enough, a win of nearly the same amount occurred at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut precisely 10 years later in 2022.
4. $3.08 million
Won on January 2, 2016, the next big jackpot also has little information surrounding who it went to. In fact, we only know about it thanks to the records kept by the NJ government. The win amounted to an incredible $3,084,922.63.
The slot that granted the big win was located at the Taj Mahal and was once again the popular IGT game, Wheel of Fortune.
5. $2.84 million
The winner of this jackpot was playing Monopoly Money Grab, developed by IGT. Offered by the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino, the identity and details regarding the winner of this prize have been kept tightly under wraps.
The only public record surrounding this win is that it amounted to a generous $2,839,342.89 and occurred on January 19, 2022.
6. $2.65 million
As with the majority of wins above, this jackpot has no specified winner to link it to. However, the public domain records kept by the state show it was won on May 29, 2013, and amounted to $2,647,826.49.
This fantastic prize was won at the Borgata casino while the lucky individual was playing a game developed by WMS. The game, identified as Wizard of Oz – Emerald City, is one of the more popular games in the WMS library.
7. $2.65 million
Last on our list is a win that took place on August 21, 2017, at Harrah’s casino. This lucky winner won big by playing the popular Pink Diamond rendition of the famous Wheel of Fortune slot. Other than the final amount the player took home, there is no additional information concerning who it was.
This final payout was a respectable $2,645,033.41. This win adds yet another big jackpot in AC to the portfolio of high wins produced by IGT games in the city.
Online Casino Jackpots
While all the above jackpots were won in physical casinos located in Atlantic City, it’s worth noting that the jackpots offered by online casinos available in the state are sometimes comparable. Like the physical ones, these casinos must report any significant jackpot wins to the NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement.
In fact, according to the NJ government, three of them are among the top-ten highest jackpots in recorded Atlantic City slot history.
The highest online jackpot, which would place it in the third slot in the list above, was won on Unibet and amounted to $5.13 million. Following this was a jackpot of $3.27 million and another of $2.81 million, both of which were won on PlayMGM (now known as BetMGM).
About the Author/s
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.
