Retired kindergarten teacher wins $2,421,291.76 playing slots

Just before 8pm one Saturday evening of 2004 in the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic city, a 58-year-old woman was playing a $1-per-pull Wheel of Fortune slot machine when she hit the jackpot. The event made her $2,421,291.76 richer.

The Puerto Rican-born woman had a fanciful explanation of her big win, which she gave to The Press of Atlantic City. "It was divine intervention. I have a great devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of Mexico and the Americas. I just looked up at the $2 million jackpot and said a little prayer and then I hit. Our Lady really looks out for me. This was my first time playing a $1 Wheel of Fortune machine; usually, I play quarters. When I won, my knees started shaking and I began to yell and scream."

The woman also said she planned to use $100,000 of her winnings to start a college fund for her two grandchildren. A certain irony attaches to this woman's having won a slots jackpot. Her daughter broke up with a famous boyfriend in part because she disapproved of his enthusiasm for gambling. That daughter's name is Jennifer Lopez.