A trip to a Las Vegas casino on Thanksgiving Day left one penny-pinching tourist very thankful indeed when their $25 bet turned them into a millionaire.
Last week, the winner (whose identity has not been made public) laid down a $25 bet on the Dragon Link slot machine at Las Vegas’ Fontainebleau Casino resort. Their relatively safe bet paid off in unexpected rewards: the lucky player won more than $1,152,000. According to Casinos.com, the most one can bet on a Dragon Link slot machine is $50 on the $2 denomination.
“Its mix of fiery eye-catching graphics, distinct sound effects, hugely popular hold and spin feature, plus the Grand Progressive Jackpot attracts slots players like a moth to a flame,” the site says of the popular game.
Officials confirmed that the winner chose to keep their identity anonymous. Men’s Journal has reached out to Fountainbleau Casino resort for comment.
It’s the Latest in a String of Windfalls
This most recent windfall comes on the heels of several other big wins on behalf of Las Vegas gamblers placing smaller bets. Another lucky winner took home millions of dollars on a Dragon Link slot machine, per 8 News Now. That winner, who likewise chose to remain anonymous, won $1,140,529 after placing a $125 bet in the high-limit gaming lounge at The Venetian Resort.
In an even bigger victory, which occurred only the day before the win at Fontainebleau Casino, a player at Resorts World Las Vegas turned a breakfast-time bet of $5 into an $11 million win. That player, who also chose to remain anonymous, waltzed into the casino along with his wife just before 6 a.m. and laid down $5 on IGT’s Megabucks™ Mega Vault™ slot game, winning a statewide progressive jackpot that totaled over $11.1 million. According to 8 News Now, the couple was in the casino for less than 20 minutes before scoring the life-changing victory.
Despite Big Wins, Tourism Continues to Decline
But even as the city’s gamblers continue to win outrageous sums with comparative pennies, tourism in Las Vegas continues to decline. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCA), the city saw 8 million visitors in September, down 8.8 percent from the same time last year.
As The Reno Gazette-Journal reported, tourist number to Las Vegas were down every month in the first half of the year, too, with just under 19.6 million visitors coming to the desert gambling mecca. Occupied room nights, a measure of hotel occupancy key to the tourism industry, landed at 22.3 million in the first half of the year 2025, down about 6 percent from 2024.
Fox News Digital spoke with several tourists, all of whom pointed to high prices in the city (particularly where beverages are concerned) as a point of dissatisfaction. “We found it a bit more expensive than other places we’ve been in the States,” said one U.K. native embarking on a North American road trip with his wife. He claimed they spent “$20 for two coffees this morning,” which “was quite a lot.”
