BILOXI, Miss., Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Talk about generating economic stimulus.
Tommy McMillan, a 67-year-old local man from Biloxi told his wife Tuesday that he "just had a feeling" when he woke up and wanted to play his favorite slot machine at his favorite gaming destination - the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Biloxi. That lucky feeling paid off when McMillan hit a $14,387,950 statewide progressive $1Wheel of Fortune(R) MegaJackpot(R) - a world record for a slot jackpot outside of the state of Nevada.
"I screamed and jumped out of my chair - completely scaring the slot attendant standing next to me," laughed McMillan after the jackpot was verified by IGT Technicians and Mississippi State Gaming officials. "I was so excited and immediately started calling all of my close friends and family to share the great news with them!"
A regular since the Hard Rock's opening in July of 2007, delayed by Hurricane Katrina's devastation just before its scheduled opening in late 2005, McMillan had stopped by to play the previous day but had to change his plans, so he promised himself he would come back Tuesday.
"I like coming here to play about three-times a week," McMillan said. "My wife always comes, too, and she gives me exactly an hour. She had just come over to tell me that my time was up, but then she decided to give me an extra 15 minutes. Those 15 minutes have changed our lives forever."
McMillan said that his wife is a good luck charm for him even though she never wins herself. "I'll probably bring her back tomorrow," McMillan said jokingly. "Just for fun!"
The first thing McMillan plans to do with his winnings is send his wife and her friends on a cruise. Then he'll ponder how to use the remainder of his world record winnings.
This is the largest MegaJackpot(R) to ever be won in the state of Mississippi, and is the first MegaJackpot(R) grand prize of the year in Mississippi.
This particular jackpot has set the world record for all denominations of Wheel of Fortune(R) slot machines and is now the largest slot jackpot of any kind ever awarded outside of the state of Mississippi. The previous highest Wheel of Fortune(R) dollar MegaJackpot(R) was $12.3 million in 2006. The previous largest jackpot awarded in the state was $13.7 million, which hit in 2003 on a Jeopardy!(R) slot machine at the Isle of Capri in Biloxi. Both Wheel of Fortune(R) and Jeopardy!(R) are manufactured by IGT.
IGT developed the concept of statewide progressive jackpots in the 1980s and installed the very first system with NevadaMegabucks in 1986. Today the company operates 12 MegaJackpots(R) systems in Mississippi, with separate systems in Native American casinos.
All IGT MegaJackpots(R) are paid in annual installments upon verification by IGT technicians and Mississippi Gaming Officials, except Instant Winners(TM) MegaJackpots(R) and Rapid Riches MegaJackpots(R), which are paid in their entirety upon verification.
The Wheel of Fortune(R) progressive slot machine is based on the popular television game show, "Wheel of Fortune(R)." The primary jackpot is paid when a player plays the maximum bet ($3 on the $1 game) and lines up all three winning symbols on the appropriate pay line.
IGT (www.IGT.com) is a global company specializing in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and sales of computerized gaming machines and systems products.
