Gambler heeds wife’s advice — and wins big prize at CA casino. ‘Hasn’t hit home’
A lucky gambler scored a life-changing jackpot win after taking his wife’s advice while visiting a Southern California casino.
The Eastvale couple was on a “staycation” at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula on April 13, something they’ve done on occasion for the past eight years, casino officials said in an April 15 news release.
They had just finished dinner, played a few games and were ready to call it a night, casino officials said.
But just as they were about to head to their hotel room, the wife suggested that her husband try his luck on a slot machine just “for a few minutes before they turned in,” according to the casino.
The man spent $100 at a Megabucks MegaVault slot machine and played a few $3 and $5 spins, officials said.
Something, though, “told him to bet a bit bigger,” the casino said.
Heeding his instincts, the man played two max bet spins of $10 each, officials said.
On his second spin, he scored a win, casino officials said.
“I didn’t know we won at first,” the man told casino officials. “I thought I hit $230.”
However, he said a message saying “call attendant” popped on screen, and he knew his prize was much bigger.
He soon learned he hit the progressive jackpot of $4,178,889.94.
“It hasn’t hit home yet,” the husband told casino officials. “I thank God (my wife) told me to play it.”
Despite their massive win, the man told casino officials the couple has no plans of retiring.
Instead, the couple plans to use their winnings to help their three adult children “get a little further in life,” which includes paying down some student loan debt and car payments, he told casino officials.
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 April 16, 2025 at 10:34 AM with the headline "Gambler heeds wife’s advice — and wins big prize at CA casino. ‘Hasn’t hit home’."
