For one BetMGM Casino player in New Jersey, a $200 bet became a $6.45 million win on Aug. 19. The huge jackpot that BetMGM is calling “the largest” in the history of US iGaming may change perceptions among Americans about potential prizes in the online space. Traditionally, land-based casinos have owned the “wow” factor for jackpot sizes.
On the BetMGM Casino page on Facebook, an Aug. 19 post read:
🚨IT HAS HAPPENED🚨
Our MASSIVE record-breaking New Jersey jackpot has hit! A VERY lucky NJ player is now the proud winner of the LARGEST jackpot in online casino history🤯
On Aug. 20, BetMGM announced more details in a press release:
On the morning of August 19, a player on BetMGM Casino in New Jersey won ‘The Big One’ progressive jackpot for $6.4 million on a $200 bet while playing Fruit Blaster.
Much like Mega Millions and Powerball winners whose prizes sometimes total more than $1 billion, the New Jerseyan who won the BetMGM Casino online slot jackpot remains anonymous.
Another unique aspect of the large BetMGM jackpot is a single winner will collect the prize. Evolution (Evolution AB (publ) 3,36 -1,75%) awarded $37.4 million in a Crazy Time live dealer game payout in June. However, 4,988 bettors shared the jackpot. (However, they also won in Euros — outside the US.)
$200 BetMGM Casino Wager Makes History
On Aug. 20, BetMGM iGaming Communications Manager Katie Kohler told Bonus via email of the $6,450,023.04 Aug. 19 win:
It is the largest jackpot in US online casino history.
US online casinos are younger than their land-based counterparts. In New Jersey, iGaming began about a decade ago. Its land-based casino partners in Atlantic City are coming up on their 50th anniversary.
The commercial casino belonging to BetMGM’s half-0wner, MGM Resorts International (MGM Resorts International 35,01 -2,23%), opened its doors in 2003. On Aug. 21. the home page of the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa website advertised a $1.5 million “Summer Showdown,” in which slot and table game players can enter drawings with chances to win up to five jackpots a day.
Coincidentally, the New Jersey winner of the BetMGM Casino jackpot can also pick a trip to an MGM casino in “the nearest location to the winner’s home,” which would presumably be the Borgata. The multi-millionaire can also opt to visit a Las Vegas MGM property.
Meanwhile, “The Big One” saw its jackpot reset. On Aug. 20, BetMGM was already offering a $1.2 million prize.
BetMGM Can Afford $6.45 Million
MGM and Entain (Entain PLC 639,40 -1,21%) created BetMGM in 2018.
Since then, US iGaming states have seen billions in gross gaming revenue (GGR) generated in each legal jurisdiction:
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Michigan
- Nevada (online poker only)
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- West Virginia
BetMGM online casino and poker brands have been among the Big Three revenue producers throughout BetMGM’s history. DraftKings (DraftKings 35,11 -1,74%) and Flutter Entertainment‘s FanDuel are BetMGM’s biggest competitors.
In New Jersey alone, online casinos and poker rooms saw $195.4 million in GGR in July. BetMGM brands’ share of that was more than $45 million.
So it appears BetMGM may be able to spare $6.45 million. BetMGM said on Aug. 20:
BetMGM casino platforms awarded over $138 million in progressive jackpot payouts in 2023, a 32% year-over-year increase. Exclusive titles created by Entain for BetMGM, such as Bison Fury and MGM Grand Million Megaways, were the source of more than half of the prize total.
As for the game the $6.45 million jackpot winner played, here’s Fruit Blaster:
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