Gambler Wins Record-Breaking $14M Megabucks Jackpot in Reno, Nevada

Reno Gazette-Journal reported that the Reno woman who wished to remain anonymous hit the $14 million jackpot while playing a Megabucks slot machine at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa on Sunday, April 2, 2023. The anonymous gambler had extended her stay at the casino after her planned cruise was canceled. 

Atlantis Casino Resort Spa Celebrates Biggest Jackpot Win Ever in Reno

The $14 million jackpot is the largest Megabucks prize ever won in Reno, and it is the first Megabucks jackpot won in Nevada since April 2021. IGT, the gaming manufacturer of the Megabucks slot machine, confirmed the life-changing win, which is far from the top jackpot ever won in Nevada. That honor belongs to a man who wished to remain anonymous after winning a $39.7 million progressive jackpot at the Excalibur on the Las Vegas Strip in March 2003. The lucky player also won the historic sum on a Megabucks machine after gambling about $100.

The woman’s $10 bet hit the jackpot, making her richer by over $14 million. The Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, which is south of downtown Reno, is owned and operated by Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc. The lucky winner is a regular at the casino, according to casino officials. 

Atlantis General Manager Cheraz Ecker expressed her excitement for the winner and her incredible jackpot win, saying that it was another amazing milestone to celebrate in the company’s history.

IGT’s Megabucks Have Been Making Millionaires and Breaking Records for Over Three Decades

IGT’s Megabucks is a progressive slot jackpot that is available at various casinos. It debuted in Nevada casinos in 1986 and has an array of titles. The terminals have made many gamblers extraordinarily wealthy over the 37 years of its operation. 

While this week’s Megabucks jackpot hit at the Atlantis Reno is the largest slots prize ever won in the city, the $14 million haul is far from the top jackpot ever won in Nevada. Reno resident Rachael Renee Romanick also won $33 million playing the Megabucks slot machine at Terrible’s Rail City in Sparks on April 12, 2009.

The chances of hitting a Megabucks progressive slot jackpot are not good. According to Anthony Curtis of Las Vegas Advisor, an online resource for visitors to Southern Nevada, the chances of hitting a Megabucks jackpot are about 1 in 49.8 million.