Note from 10Best:Someday, we'll all be ready to pack our suitcases again and head out on our next adventures. In the meantime, we'll keep supporting the places that inspire us. Please check individual casino websites for the latest updates.
The D Las Vegas
On the first floor of The D Las Vegas, players will find the latest table games and slot machines. The recently updated second floor casino is a step back in time to Old Vegas with vintage slots and the only Sigma Derby horse racing simulation in Las Vegas. There’s also the hockey-themed BarCanada and a refreshed Circa Sports book with bar-top table games and big-screen TVs.
Photo courtesy of The D Las VegasPlaza Hotel & Casino
The Plaza Hotel Casino packs a ton of options into its 80,000 square feet of gaming space. Players can play bingo in a 400-seat bingo hall–the only one in Downtown Las Vegas, place bets at 21 table games or try their luck at more than 700 slot machines. Keno games run regularly throughout the day.
Photo courtesy of Plaza Hotel & CasinoThe Venetian & The Palazzo
The sister casinos at the Venetian and Palazzo offer players a combined 2,270 slot and video poker machines and hundreds of table games, with free gaming lessons on weekends. Imperial Baccarat at The Palazzo puts a new twist on a classic game.
Photo courtesy of The Venetian Las VegasWynn Las Vegas and Encore Resort
Sparkling golden in the Nevada desert sun, the Wynn Las Vegas houses an 111,000-square-foot casino space decked out with table games, slots, video poker, a 27-table poker room and a state-of-the-art race and sports book.
Photo courtesy of Wynn Las VegasCaesars Palace Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
A classic Las Vegas casino, Caesars Palace brings the gaming experience to an ancient Roman setting. Encompassing 85 acres on The Strip, Caesars pairs its unique atmosphere and comprehensive casino offerings with some of the best retail, dining and entertainment in the city.
Photo courtesy of Caesars Palace Las Vegas Hotel & CasinoDowntown Grand Hotel & Casino
The casino floor at the Downtown Grand, located just steps from the Fremont Street Experience, features more than 500 slot machines–a mix of classics and new favorites–as well as an assortment of table games and a William Hill sports book.
Photo courtesy of Preferred Hotels & ResortsRed Rock Casino Resort & Spa
Frequented by both locals and tourists, the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa sits on 70 acres of land near the beautiful Red Rock Mountains in Summerlin, about 10 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip. The resort casino includes 3,000 slot and video poker machines, 60 table games, a race and sports book with a 96-foot video wall, a 20-table smoke-free poker room, 600-seat Bingo hall, a 20-seat Keno lounge and two private rooms for high-stakes gamers.
Photo courtesy of Red Rock Casino Resort & SpaThe Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
A relatively new addition to the Las Vegas Strip, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas has already earned a spot among the ranks of elite Sin City casinos, thanks to its friendly dealers, swanky setting and modern amenities. The gambling menu includes classic table games as well as 1,300 slots and video poker machines with a wide range of denominations–everything from $0.01 to $500.
Photo courtesy of The Cosmopolitan of Las VegasSAHARA Las Vegas
The 60,000-square-foot casino at SAHARA Las Vegas offers a luxe gaming experience, with crystal chandeliers and a rich color scheme. Gamblers can choose from more than 50 table games and 600 slot machines, place a bet in the Sports Book or play live poker in the new seven-table poker room.
Photo courtesy of SAHARA Las VegasBellagio
Famous for its dancing fountains, the Bellagio is all about extreme luxury and the thrill of the game, making it one of the most popular gambling stops on the iconic Las Vegas Strip. The 100,000-square-foot casino floor an impressive 2,400 slot machines, poker room, race & sports book and nearly any table game you could want to play. Five outdoor pools, four whirlpools and a Spa Tower help guests unwind before or after betting.
Photo courtesy of Bellagio
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- The D Las Vegas
- Plaza Hotel & Casino
- The Venetian & The Palazzo
- Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Resort
- Caesars Palace Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
- Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino
- Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa
- The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
- SAHARA Las Vegas
- Bellagio
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote.
Congratulations to all these winning casinos!
The Experts
Steve Bourie
Steve Bourie is the author of the American Casino... Read More
Steve Bourie is the author of the American Casino Guide. Published annually since 1992, it is the number one bestselling book in the U.S. on casino gambling and travel. His YouTube channel has more than 28 million views and he offers a free American Casino Guide app for both Android devices and iPhones/iPads.
Steve Bourie
Steve Bourie is the author of the American Casino Guide. Published annually since 1992, it is the number one bestselling book in the U.S. on casino gambling and travel. His YouTube channel has more than 28 million views and he offers a free American Casino Guide app for both Android devices and iPhones/iPads.
G. Douglas Dreisbach
G. Douglas Dreisbach is the publisher of Southern... Read More
G. Douglas Dreisbach is the publisher of Southern & Midwest Gaming and Destinations, a regional gaming and travel magazine offering offering gaming tips, casino reviews, travel recommendations, special offers and more. G&D is considered to be the gaming authority of the region and subscriptions, tips and property reviews are available at GamingandDestinations.com.
G. Douglas Dreisbach
G. Douglas Dreisbach is the publisher of Southern & Midwest Gaming and Destinations, a regional gaming and travel magazine offering offering gaming tips, casino reviews, travel recommendations, special offers and more. G&D is considered to be the gaming authority of the region and subscriptions, tips and property reviews are available at GamingandDestinations.com.
Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic
Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic is the Publisher of Casino... Read More
Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic is the Publisher of Casino Player magazine and Strictly Slots magazine. Now in its 32nd year, Casino Player has thrived as America’s most popular gambling magazine. Over the decades, millions of gamblers have enjoyed and benefited from Casino Player’s gaming strategies, as well as its ever-changing lifestyle stories. In 1994, Lisa launched its sister publication, Strictly Slots, the nation’s only magazine written exclusively for slots and video poker players. Lisa is an accomplished director specializing in the gaming industry and has more than 35 years of publishing experience.
Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic
Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic is the Publisher of Casino Player magazine and Strictly Slots magazine. Now in its 32nd year, Casino Player has thrived as America’s most popular gambling magazine. Over the decades, millions of gamblers have enjoyed and benefited from Casino Player’s gaming strategies, as well as its ever-changing lifestyle stories. In 1994, Lisa launched its sister publication, Strictly Slots, the nation’s only magazine written exclusively for slots and video poker players. Lisa is an accomplished director specializing in the gaming industry and has more than 35 years of publishing experience.
Photo of Trinadad Torres courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino.
Admit it. You have the same dream we do.
Everything conspires and you find yourself in the right place at the right time – seated in front of a Megabucks slot machine that’s primed and ready to hit. You push the button (of course, pulling a lever would be more dramatic, but this is 2015 and the one-armed bandit has gone the way of the horse and buggy). The logos on the reels all line up. And then the moment you’ve been waiting for finally arrives…you realize you’re a millionaire.
Correction: A multimillionaire.
IGT’s Megabucks has been paying out ginormous life-changing jackpots for almost 20 years. Its slogan is “Dream big. Win big.”
A network of slot machines linked throughout Nevada, Megabucks boasts a top prize that builds from a base amount of $10 million. To play it costs $1 a spin, but to quality for that top amount you’ll have to shell out $3. That sounds pretty steep, we know. But trust us, if you hit Megabucks with only a buck or two invested, you’ll leave with a jackpot in the thousands instead of millions. And just imagine trying to live with that.
As you’d expect, Megabucks lays claim to having paid the largest slot jackpots in Vegas history. It last hit here in mid March at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. The lucky winner was Trinadad Torres, a 78-year-old woman from Magna, Utah. She played $100 before netting the $10,744,292.71 jackpot. Her plans include traveling to the Philippines and buying a yellow Mustang.
Cached
While nothing to sneeze at, Torres’ windfall just misses placing her on our list below of the 10 biggest slot jackpots ever won in Sin City.
Photo of Excalibur courtesy of MGM Resorts International.
Jackpot amount: $39,710,826.36
When: March 21, 2003
Where:Excalibur
More than 12 years ago, a 25-year-old software engineer from Los Angeles, who wanted to remain anonymous (and who can blame him?), hit the city’s largest slot jackpot after playing $100 on a Megabucks machine. A C-note in return for nearly $40 million…now that’s what we’d call a damn good investment.
Photo of Cynthia Jay-Brennan at the Desert Inn courtesy of Ethan Miller / Las Vegas Sun.
Jackpot amount: $34,959,458.56
When: Jan. 26, 2000
Where: Desert Inn (imploded in phases in 2001 and 2004 to make room for Wynn Las Vegas)
Gobs bigger than any tip she’d received, cocktail waitress Cynthia Jay-Brennan, then 37 years old, hit the second largest Megabucks slot jackpot in Vegas (at that time it was the city’s highest Megabucks payout). But her story took a tragic turn when her car was rear-ended about six weeks later by a drunk driver. Her older sister Lela died in the accident, and Jay-Brennan was left paralyzed.
Photo of Palace Station courtesy of Station Casinos.
Jackpot amount: $27,580,879.60
When: Nov. 15, 1998
Where:Palace Station
Ignoring your budget isn’t always a bad thing. Just ask the then 67-year-old retired flight attendant from Vegas who racked up the city’s third largest Megabucks slot payout. She’d only intended to play $100 at Palace Station that day, but wound up putting $300 in…and we’re pretty she doesn’t regret overspending one bit.
Jackpot amount: $22,621,229.74
When: May 27, 2002
Where:Bally’s
How does that old expression go? The early bird catches…the $22.6 million slot jackpot. Well, that’s how Johanna Heundl (then 74 years old) of Covina, California, might remember it. She was on her way to breakfast when she decided to stop and play a Megabucks machine. Having looked away for a moment, she couldn’t believe her eyes when she turned back and saw all the logos aligned in the payline.
Photo of Caesars Palace courtesy of Caesars Entertainment.
Jackpot amount: $21,346,952.22
When: June 1, 1999
Where:Caesars Palace
An Illinois man, then 49 years old and described as a “self-employed business consultant,” put a $10 bill into a Megabucks machine at the Roman-themed property and hit this whopping multimillion-dollar slot jackpot on his first spin. Here’s what we want to know: Is he still consulting? Can we hire him to help us get into the business of being millionaires?
Jackpot amount: $21,147,947
When: Sept. 15, 2005
Where:Cannery Casino Hotel
One man, two times a Megabucks winner. What are the odds? They’ve got to be astronomical. Certainly, anyone would be happy to score a single multimillion-dollar slot jackpot. But not everyone is Elmer Sherwin. A frequent Vegas visitor, Sherwin hit his first Megabucks jackpot of $4.6 million at The Mirage back in 1989. It was a sign of even better things to come. Sixteen years later, at the age of 92, that lucky son of a gun (kidding, we’re not jealous…really) did it again, adding another $21.1 million to his bank account.
Youtube Casino Jackpots Videos
Photo courtesy of the M Resort.
Jackpot amount: $17,329,817.80
When: Dec. 14, 2012
Where:M Resort
Oh, the best things in life are free…especially when they lead to a $17.3 million jackpot. A Las Vegas woman stopped by the M Resort in Henderson to gamble with her “free play” credits and enjoy a meal with some dining vouchers. Before she knew it, she’d become a multimillionaire.
Photo of “Rampart Lucky Local” courtesy of the Rampart Casino.
Jackpot amount: $14,282,544.21
When: Nov. 30, 2014
Where: Rampart Casino
Late last year a Las Vegas man put $20 in a Megabucks slot machine at the Summerlin-area Rampart Casino. Within five minutes he’d hit a jackpot worth $14.2 million. His plans were altruistic (unlike ours). The man, dubbed the “Rampart Lucky Local,” said he would make a donation to his church. The church, which had been holding services in a high school gym, can now have its own location built.
Photo of Aria courtesy of MGM Resorts International.
Jackpot amount: $12,769,933
When: Jan. 21, 2011
Where:Aria
A woman visiting her niece in Vegas decided to drop $6 in a Megabucks slot machine before heading back to her room. Her reaction when the winning symbols lined up: “The machine broke.” Luckily, her niece was there to clarify things. We think we should book a room at Aria because about four months after that jackpot occurred, another Megabucks jackpot hit at the resort for $10,636,897. Talk about lightning striking twice!
Photo of New York-New York courtesy of MGM Resorts International.
Jackpot amount: $12,510,549.90
When: April 14, 1997
Where:New York-New York
New York-New York opened its doors on Jan. 3, 1997. Perhaps due to a little of the “city that never sleeps” magic, Vegas resident Suzanne Henley made her fortune at the Big Apple-themed megaresort just a few months later. On her way home from work, she stopped in to play a Megabucks machine – one that she’d had an inkling might hit. Henley waited in line an hour before she could play. And at 1:44 a.m., after putting $100 in, her diligence paid off…to the tune of more than $12.5 million.