Toronto Man Wins Incredible $4.7 Million Jackpot On Dollar Slot Machine At Woodbine
Posted October 31, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
We don’t know his name – and under the rules he can keep it quiet.
But somewhere out there is a very lucky and very wealthy winner of an incredible prize at the Woodbine Racetrack Casino on Thursday.
The unknown gambler, a Toronto resident, began feeding loonies into the one dollar Megabucks slot machine around 11:30pm. It’s not clear how many he put in but we know how many he got out: the man walked away from the one armed bandit with an unbelievable $4,755,436.56.
The place went into a whirlwind of bells and alarms as the realization that something big happened dawned on those nearby. “It’s clear to anyone who’s sitting anywhere near there that a major jackpot has been won,” OLG spokesman Jim Cronin tells CityNews.ca. “It became very clear to all our customers as well as our staff.”
And unlike the lottery, there was no wait to cash in. Staff at the track wrote the guy a cheque for the entire amount on the spot.
“He was thrilled,” Cronin relates in what must certainly be a grand understatement about the man he calls a “regular player.”
“We all have that expectation that ‘I can win the jackpot’ and in his case, I guess he did!”
The jackpot on the machine starts at $1 million and keeps climbing until somebody wins by getting 3 Megabucks symbols lined up on the centre pay line. It’s not clear what the odds are but they’re likely in the millions. And in this case, so was the payout.
It’s the first such win on those kinds of machines at Woodbine since they were installed in 2001. And it’s the largest single prize of any kind at the venue since it started in March 2000.
The lucky duck instantly became shy after his $4.7 million windfall. The rules for lottery winners are different than for those at casinos. Ticket holders have to agree to allow their names and photos to be released. Those lucky at the slots don’t.
The winner understandably refused any publicity, choosing instead to take his money and run.
But if he decides to return and try his fortune at Woodbine again, at least next time he’ll have a fortune to actually play with.
