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. These stories of incredible luck serve as a testament to the unpredictable nature of gambling. Here are some of the most famous and largest casino wins in history.

The Megabucks Jackpot: A Software Engineer's $39.7 Million Win
The record for the biggest-ever slot win was set in Las Vegas in 2003 at the Excalibur. A 25-year-old software engineer from Los Angeles decided to play the famous Megabucks slot machine while waiting for a basketball game to start. His relatively small investment of $100 resulted in the ultimate prize. The total prize was a staggering $39.7 million, a sum so large that the casino agreed to pay it out in 25 annual installments of about $1.5 million. His story is the quintessential example of how a small bet can lead to an unimaginable fortune.

The Blackjack King
Some of the most famous wins are a result of skill, strategy, and casino negotiation. 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. As a known high roller, he was able to negotiate extremely favorable playing conditions for himself. These negotiated perks, including a generous loss rebate, effectively tilted the odds in his favor. This combination of perfect play and negotiated advantages gave him a small but crucial edge over the house. His incredible run caused some casinos to change their high-roller policies, and he was eventually banned from many establishments.

The Double Megabucks Winner
Winning a massive jackpot once is a statistical miracle. Winning it twice is almost unbelievable. Yet, that is precisely the story of Elmer Sherwin, a veteran of the Second World War. In 1989, at the age of 76, he won a $4.6 million Megabucks jackpot at The Mirage in Las Vegas, just 10 hours after the casino opened. He traveled extensively with his winnings but never gave up on his dream of winning again. Incredibly, 16 years later, in 2005, casino at the age of 92, he did it again. He won a staggering $21.1 million jackpot on another Megabucks machine at the Cannery Casino. Sherwin generously donated much of his second win to charity, including relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina victims.