TOP-10 biggest wins of 2025

2025 generously handed out headlines - from record lotteries to powerful network and local progressives. Below is a squeeze of the ten largest and most discussed winnings for the period from January to October 18, 2025, with a focus on verifiable dates, amounts and sources.

1) Powerball - $1.787 billion (US, September 2025)

Two tickets - in Texas (Seven Bridges Revocable Trust) and in Missouri - shared the second largest jackpot in US history. The cash option for the Texas winner's share was ~ $410.3 million before taxes. This is the main "explosion" of the year in absolute terms.

2) DraftKings Casino (online, Michigan) - $9,282,332 at Irish Pot Luck (NetEnt), bet $0.20 (Feb. 27, 2025)

The largest online jackpot in the history of iGaming USA: the single progressive DraftKings "Single Level Progressive" collected up to $9.28 million and fell on the minimum bet.

3) Wheel of Fortune (Harlow's Casino, Greenville, Mississippi) - $3,257,765 (April 22, 2025)

Another IGT millionaire: Wheel of Fortune Triple Gold ™ Gold Spin ™ has joined the list of the largest prizes of the year.

4) Megabucks Mega Vault (Twin Pine Casino & Hotel, CA) - $3,194,568 (September 26, 2025)

IGT's wide-ranging progressive classic: Megabucks shot again - this time in Middletown, Calif.

5) Wheel of Fortune Triple Stars (Empire City Casino, New York) - $2,995,532 (September 25, 2025)

The largest jackpot in Empire City history since the casino opened (2006).

6) Spanish 21 - Bonus Spin Xtreme (Mohegan Sun, CT) - $2,018,742.30 with side beta $5 (July 9, 2025)

A rare case when tables catch up with slots in terms of amounts: the largest table payment of the year at Mohegan Sun and one of the top 5 in the history of the site.

7) Wheel of Fortune High Roller (Cocopah Casino, AZ) - $1,709,369 (April 5, 2025)

Loud "millionaire" outside Las Vegas - in Somerton, Arizona.

8) Whitney Houston Slots (Virgin Hotels Las Vegas) — $1,515,034,61 (12 апреля 2025)

IGT Platinum Progressive: Luck came in at 300 credits; several sources at once confirmed the amount and date.

9) Jumanji: The Next Level (Mohegan Sun, CT) - $1,300,000 + at $3 (January 14, 2025)

Brand slots are not only about the show: "Jumanji" opened the year with a millionth payment.

10) Dollar Storm Mega Grand Wild Ninja (Thunder Valley Casino Resort, CA) - $512.872 @ $5 Bet (March 2025)

"Half a million" for one spin is a symbol of how the highly volatile Aristocrat/Light & Wonder lines cling to high rollers and midrollers.

2025 trends - as seen in the top 10

1) Online caught up offline. The DraftKings jackpot of $9.28 million put an end to the "can online match the hall" dispute. Maybe - and with a huge margin of multiplicity to the bet.

2) IGT's network brands continue to dominate. Wheel of Fortune and Megabucks hold the "millionth bar" in different states and at different sites, and the autumn diptych Empire City + Twin Pine showed the strength of wide-area pools.

3) Tabletop progressions are not background. The side bet for $5 in Spanish 21 brought in over $2 million - the Bonus Spin Xtreme format became one of the most viral cases of the year.

4) Brand games = jackpot brands. Whitney Houston and Jumanji confirm the commercial logic of IP slots: recognition + progressive = PR effect and high lunges.

Short conclusions for players and operators

Players: top payments are almost always a high variance. Bankroll management and understanding the mechanics of "must-hit "/WAP networks are required. Minimum rates also "shoot," but the probability is small - treat progressives as a lottery component.

Operators: public verification of amounts and dates (press releases/editions) increases confidence and organic traffic - IGT, DraftKings, Mohegan Sun cases give an understandable reputational ROI.