Best slot machines to Play in Vegas

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014 | 2 a.m.

The odds of hitting a multimillion-dollar jackpot on a Las Vegas slot machine are almost impossibly long, but it happens.

The most recent eight-figure payout occurred late last month at Rampart Casino, where a local man who was visiting the casino with a friend from out of town hit a $14, 282, 544 jackpot. The man, who did not publicly disclose his name, said he had been playing a Megabucks machine for about five minutes on a $20 bill when the machine paid off. He said he planned to donate the money to charity and his church.

In the aftermath of that news, here's a look at some of the biggest jackpots in Las Vegas history.

A quick play before breakfast

March 27, 2002: Johanna Huendl, 74, of Covina, Calif., was on her way to breakfast at Bally's when she decided to play the Megabucks machine. She put in about $170 and won $22.6 million. She said she had initially misread the meter and thought she'd won $2 million. She would have been happy with that. Total: $22, 618, 156.67

Courtesy photo

Another Palace hit, this time at Caesars

June 1, 1999: An Illinois man won more than .3 million on a Megabucks machine at Caesars Palace. The 49-year-old business consultant deposited and won on the first spin. Total: , 346, 952.22.

Las Vegas Sun

One player, two mega jackpots

Sept 15, 2005: In an improbable display of beating the odds, Elmer Sherwin, 92, of Las Vegas won his second Megabucks jackpot by hitting $21.1 million at the Cannery Casino in North Las Vegas. Sherwin had previously won a $4.6 million in 1989 at the Mirage. He said it had been his "lifelong dream" to win it twice. Total: $21, 147, 947

Courtesy of CityCenter

Megabucks at the Aria

Jan. 21, 2011: A woman on her way to her room at the Aria, decided to plunk $6 into a Megabucks machine and hit a $12.7 million jackpot. She thought the machine had malfunctioned until her niece pointed out that, no, it was really a winner.