Jackpot winner sets online casino record with 20-cent bet

Olivia Richman Published 02/03/2025

A Michigan resident has won a massive jackpot setting a record for an online casino, making them an instant millionaire with just a 20 cent bet.

According to PlayMichigan, the jackpot winner bet just 20 cents on DraftKing’s Irish Pot Luck rolling jackpot. It started at $1 million in February 2024 and a year later it had reached a record-breaking $9.28 million. DraftKings is an American gambling website based out of Boston, Massachusetts that offers both casino games and sports betting. This was their biggest jackpot yet — and it’s now the biggest in the whole of the United States.

“To be able to award the largest online casino jackpot in U.S. history is an amazing testament to the DraftKings Casino team who work tirelessly to deliver customers a best-in-class experience. Congratulations to the winner, we look forward to celebrating our next big jackpot win,” DraftKings VP of iGaming marketing and operations Jason March said.

What are the biggest DraftKings jackpots?

Right now, the $9.28 million jackpot is the biggest one won on DraftKings yet, netting the winner a hefty sum of money in the process. This was won on the Irish Pot Luck slot game on February 26, 2025.

Irish Pot Luck slot machine

Before this jackpot, the highest jackpot was $2.74 million on Cash Eruption, which went to a winner based in Connecticut. This is followed by $2.63 million won by a player in Pennsylvania on Gordon Ramsay’s Hells Kitchen game. Another Michigan player won $2.23 million on the El Dorado: The Lost City slot. A winner in New Jersey received a $1.84 million jackpot on Divine Fortune Megaways.

DraftKings claims to have made 50 millionaires so far, paying out over $150 million in earnings to the gambling operator’s winners.

What is a progressive jackpot?

Most of the biggest winners on DraftKings were playing progressive jackpot games. This is a game with an accumulative prize pool that continues to increase each time players participate but fail to win. A fixed jackpot has the same prize consistently no matter how players interact with the game, while a progressive jackpot will keep going up until someone finally wins it.

The first progressive jackpot was established back in 1986, when IGT released a slot called Megabucks. By 1987, a player won $5 million after the prizing had increased over the space of a year.

Progressive jackpot slots have a random number generator (RNG) that must be triggered to win. The chances of winning a progressive jackpot really depend on the specific game and the operator or casino that runs it. Every slot has a different return-to-player average, or RTP. Some have higher RTPs but more volatility, while some have lower RTP but better prizing. Slots also have game-specific features, like free spins and other potential bonuses.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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