Taking a free photo with one million dollars has been a trademark of Binion's Gambling Hall since 1954. It’s very easy to do. You walk in (if you’re 21 and over), stand behind the pyramid of money, take your picture and email it to yourself.
But walking out of the downtown Las Vegas casino with a million dollars, or more, is a much tougher task unless you’re Chad from Texas.
Chad, only identified by his first name, hit for nearly $1.5 million over the weekend on a slot machine featuring the Wheel of Fortune symbol at the top.
The casino even posted a video of Chad and his winning machine on its X (formerly Twitter) account.
🚨Right on the heels of a six figure jackpot we have another HUGE winner! 🚨 Congratulations to Chad from Texas!
He landed 3x, 4x, 5x on the pay line winning the progressive for $1,494,585! The wins keep coming at Binion’s, could you be next? #binions#jackpot#lasvegas#nfrpic.twitter.com/DZKSSd2UEw
— Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel (@BinionsLV) December 7, 2024
When it was all said and done, Chad won $1.494,585.00. That’s quite a way to kick off a weekend.
Another Big Slot Machine Win
That huge win by Chad came on the heels of another massive slot machine win at Binion’s.
A player identified only by her first name, Donna, is celebrating a great win after visiting the gambling hall this past weekend.
She didn't even hit it on a new machine. Donna won more than $138,000 on Dollar Storm after landing the Super Grand Jackpot, according to the casino’s social media account.
Dollar Storm? More like $138,000 Dollar Storm! 🌪️💸 A HUGE congrats to Donna, who hit the Coin Grab bonus while playing at Binion’s and landed the Super Grand Jackpot—over $138,000! 💰🎉 Way to go, Donna! Who’s next to strike it big? 🎰 #BigWin#Jackpot#BinionsCasinopic.twitter.com/KeYtsPgGuW
— Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel (@BinionsLV) December 6, 2024
Once her excitement subsided, Donna realized she was going home with $138,697.28
Binions’ Million Dollar Display
Let's go back to Binion’s million-dollar display for a moment. The tourist attraction was removed at the height of the pandemic in 2020, but an updated version returned in the summer of 2023.
The display was the brainchild of Dallas gangster —turned Las Vegas casino entrepreneur— Benny Binion, who in 1951 purchased what was then the Eldorado Club and the Apache Hotel on Fremont Street. He transformed them into Binion’s Horseshoe.
Encased in plexiglass, the pyramid of cash contains $42,000 in $1 bills, $688,000 in $20 bills and $270,000 in $100 bills, totaling exactly $1 million.
It weighs 356 pounds: 174 pounds of US currency and 182 pounds of plexiglass.
Unlike previous displays that required waiting to get your photo printed, the new process is fully automated. You can receive your photo almost instantaneously via email or mobile device.
The updated display even features a new backdrop, making it look like you are on Fremont Street, standing in front of Binion’s with $1 million in hand.
So, you can get close to a million dollars at Binion’s the easy way, by checking out the display, or you can take the less conventional route, like Chad from Texas. The big difference between them is that Chad got to take his money home.
Good luck, and please play responsibly.
