A LUCKY gambler scooped one of the biggest ever slot machine wins after playing with just one cent.
Roberto Arcueno, who is a frequent player, won a $1.5million prize at a Lincoln, California casino on August 5.
Had Arcueno only played the game once, he would’ve defied odds of around 150million to one, but it’s likely that he played several games.
Arcueno is a platinum member at the Thunder Valley Casino and gamblers must accumulate at least 50,000 points in order to achieve the status, according to Play USA.
This means that it’s likely he spent more than a cent on his way to achieving the stunning win.
It’s not known how many points contributed to his victory.
Thunder Valley general manager Dawn Clayton said the casino was “thrilled” that Arcueno won the prize.
She said: “Every slot machine in the casino is wired into our exciting Thunder Strike Jackpot, which can strike on any slot at any time.
“You never know when you will hit it big, and Thunder Valley is the place to test your luck.”
Arcueno’s success story is one of the biggest wins ever recorded.
In July, a slot machine player in Nevada won $1.2million after playing with seven dollars, according to Casino.org.
There are more than 3,000 slot machines in the casino for gamblers to test their luck.
Arcueno’s stunning success is not the only gambling success story that’s hit the headlines recently.
Earlier this month, a first-time lottery player, from Maryland, bought a scratchcard and scooped a $50,000 prize.
The winner, who hasn’t been identified, told Maryland Lottery: “I was confused and surprised at the same time. I really didn’t know that I was a winner.”
There are more than 776,000 prize-winning scratchcards in circulation and the odds of winning a prize is one in 3.77.
This means that the lottery player defied odds of three million to one.
BIG WINS
Solomon Garens, 45, scooped a huge $1million prize after he bought a ticket when he stopped at a RaceTrac gas station in Florida.
He told iHeart that he stopped for a water and restroom break as he was drained from a long day on the road.
He decided to buy a Gold Rush Limited Scratch-Off ticket.
He told the Florida Lottery: “When I saw the million-dollar prize, I couldn’t believe it.”
Solomon, who was traveling from Ohio, chose to receive his winnings as a one-time payment and drove four hours to Florida Lottery Headquarters to grab their winnings.
The Gold Rush Limited Scratch-Off is a $20 game that launched in September 2021.
The odds of winning a prize is one in 2.65. There are 32 top prizes of $5million and 100 prizes of $1million.
The tickets are filled with thousands of prizes, ranging from $1,000 to $100,000.
IMPROVE YOUR ODDS
Playing the lottery is ultimately a game of chance and experts have offered their tips regarding how gamblers can improve their odds of winning a prize.
Winning the jackpot is incredibly difficult but Parquita Nassau has offered some pointers to help those win some money – even if it’s not the big prize.
She urged gamblers to consider playing scratch-off games where smaller prizes are up for grabs.
She also called on players to scan their tickets themselves and not to throw them away.
The people behind casino.org have compiled a list of the nine best ways to help you secure a win when playing.
Experts say buying the cards that are slightly more expensive means you could receive a bigger prize.
“You would be better off buying higher-priced scratch cards but buying fewer,” the blog adds.