Gambler uses ‘a lot of luck’ on slot machine and wins huge prize at California casino

A lucky gambler “found a lot of luck” and took home a life-changing jackpot win after playing a slot machine at a Southern California casino.

The Orange County man played a $25 bet on a Dragon Link Autumn Moon slot machine the early morning of Thursday, March 13, at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, the casino said in a March 18 news release.

With his bet, the gambler won the game’s massive jackpot: $1,232,300.19, the casino said.

“Dragon Link is one of the most popular and award-winning slot games in the world, recently hailed as the “#1 Luckiest Slot” by Southern California Gaming Guide,” according to the casino.

Pechanga Resort Casino, about a 90-mile drive southeast from Los Angeles, “is one of the largest casino resorts” in the country, according to the resort’s website. The casino features more than 200,000 square feet of gaming space, which includes slots machines, video poker machines and table games.

This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Gambler uses ‘a lot of luck’ on slot machine and wins huge prize at California casino."

Daniella Segura

McClatchy DC

Daniella Segura is a national real-time reporter with McClatchy. Previously, she’s worked as a multimedia journalist for weekly and daily newspapers in the Los Angeles area. Her work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association. She is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.