Mohegan Sun Guest Hits $3.8M Jackpot on Progressive ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Slot

Posted on: April 13, 2022, 10:24h. 

Last updated on: April 13, 2022, 11:47h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More

Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

One extraordinarily lucky gambler at Mohegan Sun Casino & Resort earlier this month hit a life-changing fortune on a slot machine. The Connecticut tribal resort told Casino.org this week that the jackpot was the largest Wheel of Fortune slot win at the Uncasville property in nearly 20 years.

Mohegan Sun revealed that a Wheel of Fortune progressive hit for $3.8 million on Monday, April 4. The win occurred just moments after midnight on Monday morning.

While the winner opted to keep their information private, there was a very lucky guest who won a massive progressive slot jackpot,” Mohegan Sun said in a press release. “This is the largest jackpot won on a Wheel of Fortune slot machine at Mohegan Sun in nearly 20 years.”

The only larger Wheel of Fortune progressive win over the past two decades came back on October 26, 2003, when the game hit for nearly $4.5 million.

Wheel of Fortune is manufactured by IGT. The gaming maker says its popular title made two other gamblers millionaires in March. A Wheel of Fortune Triple Gold terminal at the Bellagio in Las Vegas hit for $1.48 million, while a Wheel of Fortune Triple Red Hot 7s hit for more than $1.31 million at the California in downtown Las Vegas.

Progressives Explained

Mohegan Sun is one of the largest casinos in the entire country. The casino is owned and operated by the Mohegan Tribe, which is one of two federally recognized groups in Connecticut.

Mohegan Sun has roughly 5,000 slot machines and 300 table games spread across its two unique casino spaces — Casino of the Earth and Casino of the Sky. Sports betting arrived at the tribal property last year with the FanDuel Sportsbook.

Progressive slot machines take a small amount of each bet wagered on a terminal and add it to an ever-growing jackpot. The total continues to climb by pooling the progressive side bets together until one lucky winner hits the ultimate prize.

Progressives in major gaming markets like Las Vegas link terminals from multiple casinos. For instance, Wheel of Fortune progressives at Bellagio and Mandalay Bay are pooled together to allow the jackpot to escalate quickly after a hit.

The largest progressive jackpot in the history of the US commercial casino industry was hit on March 21, 2003, at the Excalibur on the Las Vegas Strip. A guest at the MGM Resorts casino won a generations-changing $39.7 million jackpot that day. The man, who was 25 years old at the time, was in town from Los Angeles for the March Madness NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Mohegan Progressives

Wheel of Fortune progressives are pooled from terminals of the game located on Native American casino floors across the country. IGT manages the progressive pools and is responsible for paying out the jackpots when they hit.

At Mohegan Sun, slot bets range from just a quarter all the way up to $100 per spin.

Under the Mohegan Tribe’s Class III gaming compact with Connecticut, the tribe directs 25% of its gross gaming revenue generated by its slot machines to the state. That totaled $126.9 million in 2021.