A woman from Taos County, New Mexico, made history at the Ohkay Hotel Casino over the weekend by winning over a million dollars—the largest jackpot ever awarded there.
She placed a modest $3.75 bet on the Buffalo Wild Extreme Slot Machine and walked away with a staggering $1,032,690.65 choosing a lump sum payout.
The casino shared an image announcing the big win on its social media pages, including its Instagram account.
"We have never had a jackpot of this value at the Ohkay," Peter Trujillo, the casino's marketing director, said. "It’s quite unusual. This particular jackpot was won on a wide-area progressive, which means it is tied to other games all around the country.", added.
The woman’s identity is not being revealed for security reasons, but her jackpot rivals the one recently hit by a man at the Las Vegas Airport or the record-setting jackpot someone landed on a Whitney Houston-themed slot machine.
Odds of Winning as Much as 1 in 34 million
Peter Trujillo, the casino's marketing director, revealed that the jackpot-winning machine had been installed just this past June. While exact odds weren't available, slot machine jackpots can be notoriously rare, with chances ranging from one in 5,000 to as slim as one in 34 million, according to Investopedia.
An employee who has been with the Ohkay Hotel Casino for nearly 18 years told the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper that he could only recall one other instance of such a significant win at a local casino. This occurred back in the 1990s at the Cities of Gold Casino in Pojoaque Pueblo.
Woman Who Slot Machine Jackpot “Ecstatic”
“The young lady, she was ecstatic. She was in shock, super thrilled,” Trujillo said. “I think she was still in disbelief, honestly.”
"We couldn't be more thrilled for our winner," Trujillo added. "This is what we love to see – guests enjoying their time and walking away with unforgettable memories, and in this case, an extraordinary jackpot!"
The Ohkay Hotel Casino is located in the heart of Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico, about 40 miles southwest of Taos.
