Very few entertainment sources provide the shocking and thrilling outcomes that casinos do on certain, rather unlikely occasions. Gamers of the establishments often choose to spend their time in hopes of achieving nothing more but solid entertainment value, playing various casino games that best cater to their tastes and choices.
Keeping these grounded expectations help some especially lucky customers gain that much more thrill and excitement upon cases of achieving not only the traditional entertainment, but also a substantial financial value. Despite the commonly discussed and controversial odds of these games, there a plethora of documented and recorded instances of massive wins and jackpots, capturing moments of truly extraordinary luck.
One such instance is a well-known story of a normal, modest British soldier Jon Heywood, and his incredible win documented forever, on October the 6th, 2015. The game would change the man’s life forever, offering him something he never would have expected.
Brief Background and the Win Significance
As mentioned, Jon Heywood was a British soldier, who at the time of the massive win, was just 26 years old. Having family members, as well as friends serving in the military realm, he also gave it a shot. Jon has notably served in Afghanistan during his career, on a tour of duty, before returning to his normal life by the faithful day.
Due to his family’s humble lifestyles, no kind of unimaginable jackpot even cross his mind when he decided to participate in the game, and yet, with a miniscule bet of just around 25P, or 33 cents, he managed to score 17,2 million USD, or alternatively 13,2 million British pounds.
The Choice of the Game
The gambling industry has changed a lot and these changes are precisely what allow such absurdly low bets to skyrocket into massive jackpots. There are many innovative variants of popular and well-established casino games that allow for such experiences.
Thankfully, even by the year 2015 several casinos have already implemented online formats for extra convenience and comfort of customers. This is extremely relevant, as Jon casually used a popular real casino online platform, placing a bet on theprogressive slot machine. His choice of the game, which he claimed to be almost arbitrary, entirely based on the theme and color scheme of the slot machine, single-handedly determined this fortunate outcome. On most games, it is impossible to win such absurd amounts of jackpot while using up such a tiny fraction of money.
In this unique case though, the structure and the nature of a progressive slot machine is what allowed Jon to turn those 25P into 13,2 million pounds. To be more specific in progressive jackpot slots, a small portion of each player’s bet contributes to the overall jackpot pool. This cumulative jackpot continues to grow until someone hits the winning combination and claims the entire jackpot.
A very interesting system that once again demonstrates how the diversity of choices may lead to many unique variations of games that on paper, are very straightforward and almost singular in design. The random nature is something all slots share, yet the progressive system, and a significant amount of luck improved Jon’s life substantially even with the bet he placed.
Reinforcing the shock and disbelief at the jaw-dropping realization of his new fortune, is captured perfectly in an interview where Jon states that he was honestly paying more attention to the TV in the living room as his wheel was spinning, until of course, the spin stopped, and he looked at the monitor.
Spending Choices of the Winner
After making headlines for the absurd win, months later after the game being inducted in the Guinness world record book, Jon Heywood decided to keep a low profile, and use the accumulated wealth as productively as possible.
It is well-known that he spent a big portion of his new wealth on the medical treatment of his father, who at the time was suffering severe heart, and lung problems. He was even quoted saying that he would return all the money he won just to see his father healthy again.
Less known is his choice to give away a big portion, around 4 million British pounds to be precise, to one of his closest friends since childhood. He was very consistent and evidently transparent on his statements about his money going to good causes, even saying how he would continue living normally, working and supporting those around him.
Not much is available on the man’s current state of life, and that is definitely for the better. There is a plethora of examples of lucky lottery winners being manipulated, or even stolen from by those around them, but in this case, Jon’s friends and family seem to have a stronger relationship.
Conclusion
When engaging in entertainment such as the casino games, gambling and others of the same cloth, keeping expectations grounded and aiming for a fun experience may lead to some shocking and exciting wins. This story, as well as many other available stories serve as the proof of this reality.
