For most people, a trip to the casino is a form of entertainment where the dream of a life-changing win is part of the thrill. While most wins are modest, every now and then, someone defies the odds in spectacular fashion, walking away with a fortune that becomes the stuff of legend. These are the stories of ordinary people and high rollers who experienced a once-in-a-lifetime win.

The Megabucks Jackpot: A Software Engineer's $39.7 Million Win
The stuff of dreams became reality for one man at the Excalibur casino. The anonymous winner, a 25-year-old software engineer, casino was just passing time on the Megabucks slot. His relatively small investment of $100 resulted in the ultimate prize. The life-altering sum was so huge that it was structured as an annuity, paying him $1.5 million a year for casino 25 years. He wisely opted to keep his identity private, becoming a legend in the process.

The Blackjack King
Sometimes, a big win is about more than just a lucky spin. In an incredible run, Don Johnson managed to beat several casinos at blackjack for more than $15 million.

He didn't use card counting to achieve this feat. Johnson, a savvy businessman, casino negotiated special rules with the casinos before he even started playing. These included a 20% "loss rebate" (where the casino would refund him 20% of his losses if they reached a certain amount), the ability to bet up to $100,000 per hand, and favorable rules like splitting and doubling down on any four cards. By combining these advantageous rules with perfect basic strategy, he was able to shift the mathematical edge slightly in his favor. After his epic winning streak, casinos became much more cautious about the deals they offered high rollers.

Winning the Jackpot... Again
Winning a massive jackpot once is a statistical miracle. Winning it twice is almost unbelievable. This is the incredible story of Elmer Sherwin. His first jackpot was for $4.6 million, casino (amicireggiavenariareale.com) hit on the opening day of The Mirage. He used the money to travel the world, but he continued to play the Megabucks slots, dreaming of a second win. Sixteen years later, at 92 years old, lightning struck again, and he won a second Megabucks jackpot, this time for $21.1 million. Sherwin generously donated much of his second win to charity, including relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina victims.