They say that Las Vegas is ‘dead’.
Visitor numbers to Sin City have fallen by 8% in 2025, with travellers citing ‘ridiculous’ prices and other economic concerns as the main factors.
And Nevada has lost its crown as the go-to state for sports betting in America, with New York now the most popular destination in the United States for a flutter.
But if Las Vegas casinos keep making global headlines for their mammoth payouts to punters, those trends could yet be reversed.
One visitor to Resorts World this week left with their suitcase rather more bulging than it was when they arrived having landed a huge $11.1 million (£8.3 million) jackpot prize.
And they only staked $5 (£3.75) for the privilege…
Mega Bucks
The guest, who has chosen to remain anonymous, was frequenting the gaming floor at Resorts World, one of the Las Vegas strip’s most eye-catching casinos.
They ended up playing the Megabucks Mega Vault slot game, which certainly lived up to its name.
According to Resorts World, the individual had only been playing for around 15 minutes when they hit the jackpot, literally and metaphorically, from that stake of just £3.75.
BIG WIN! 🎉 Congratulations to one lucky guest who hit an $11.1 MILLION jackpot on IGT’s Megabucks™ Mega Vault™ at Resorts World Las Vegas with just a $5 wager! 💰✨ @IGTNews pic.twitter.com/nJ50Ns0TmM
— Resorts World Las Vegas (@ResortsWorldLV) November 27, 2025
Incredibly, that wasn’t the biggest win paid out by the Megabucks jackpot in 2025…
That honour went to a patron of the Virgin River Casino & Lodge in Nevada back in February, who scooped $12.3 million (£9.3 million) via the same progressive jackpot network.
The odds of landing the Megabucks jackpot? A cool 50 million to one!
Interestingly, the £8.3 million won’t be paid out in full in a lump sum, with reports suggesting that Megabucks jackpots are instead spread over a 25-year term.
Still, that’s a nice annual income for the lucky winner, who can perhaps now afford a week in Resorts World’s high roller suite, which will set them back a mere £6,800 for a six-night stay.
The Biggest Casino Wins of All Time
It goes without saying that an £8.3 million win is life changing.
But £30 million if you’re already a billionaire? That’s just loose change.
Kerry Packer, the Australian media mogul, is cited as having enjoyed the largest win ever paid out by a casino at a shade over $40 million.
Back in 1997, he was frequenting the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, trying his luck at the blackjack tables. Packer was known as a formidable player who the casinos weren’t overly keen on hosting, and on this fateful day he was able to win a total of £30 million by playing six blackjack hands at a time for £200,000 a go.
Perhaps best known as the man who tried to revolutionise cricket with his controversial new format – decades before the IPL or The Hundred were born, Packer also boasts the unique honour of having enjoyed the biggest ever payout in casino gaming history.
Mind you, six years later, an anonymous 25-year-old was just $300,000 away from matching Packer’s payout.
The software engineer was playing, you guessed it, IGT’s Megabucks slot at the Excalibur Hotel & Casino in Sin City. He entered the gaming floor with $100 (£75) to his name, but left it a matter of minutes later a cool £30 million to the good.
Megabucks has paid out countless big money prizes over the years, while in the UK it’s the Mega Moolah and Mega Fortune game that have delivered the big bucks to players.
Mega Fortune’s World Record Jackpot
As far as online slot gaming is concerned, Mega Fortune is the world record holder. Back in 2013, a 40-year-old man from Finland landed the biggest ever prize paid out by an online casino game – hitting the jackpot with a $24 million (£18 million) pay day.
As far as the UK market is concerned, an anonymous individual – known only as ‘Mr M’ – became the biggest ever winner of a casino jackpot on these shores in April 2021.
He was playing the Book of Atem: WowPot! game at 32Red, which was attached to a progressive jackpot. At the time, this had risen to a remarkable £15.1 million.
And so shocked was he when his prize amount appeared on screen, Mr M revealed: “When I won, I had to Google how many zeros make up a million!”