‘All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast’, or so wrote American journalist and author John Gunther. Whether or not Johanna Heundl subscribed to that philosophy as she headed for her morning meal at Bally’s Las Vegas in May, 2002, is something we may never know, but happiness, at least financial happiness, was just moments away. The 74-year-old Austrian immigrant, who was, coincidentally, celebrating her birthday, paused briefly for what she described as ‘a quick pull on the machines’. She deposited just $3 into the ‘Megabucks’ progressive jackpot slot machine, hoping to win one of the smaller progressive prizes, worth $3,000.

She reportedly looked away and, when she looked back again, saw three ‘Megabucks’ symbols which, she believed, gave her a jackpot prize of $22,000. She was mistaken; in actual fact, she had defied odds estimated at 50,000,000/1 to land a jackpot prize of $22,621,229.74, which was, at the time the third largest slot machine payout in the history of Sin City. Hitherto, her windfall had been exceeded only by a $34.9 million payout at the Desert Inn in 2000 and a $27.5 million payout at Palace Station two years previously.

Ms. Heundl was obviously delighted, saying, ‘I’m very happy it happened to me and I’m very grateful to everybody. I want to thank everybody; everybody’s very nice.’ She opted to take her winnings as a one-off lump sum, but confessed that she was unsure what she would do with the money. She said, ‘I just bought a new car. It’s not even delivered yet,’ adding, ‘I have a house. I could remodel, or maybe buy a new house. I will go to Europe to see my family’.

The emergence of live dealer roulette games in recent times has greatly increased the diversity of this classic table game. What do you know about the different versions you can now play and how they add to the basic gameplay?

Random Multipliers Offer Potentially Bigger Prizes

The traditional roulette payouts are well-established, with the highest being 35 to 1 for a straight-up bet on a single number. This is part of a mathematical model that’s been cleverly worked out to give players the chance of big wins while maintaining enough of a house edge to make it profitable for casinos no matter what numbers players bet on.

When you play online roulette at Paddy Power you’ll see games such as Lighting Roulette and Quantum Roulette, where random multipliers are applied to increase the chance of a bigger win on a straight-up bet. These games sit alongside numerous other versions that have tweaks to the basic gameplay, but the use of multipliers and a great studio design helps them catch the eye.

Themed Games with Bonus Rounds

Themed games of roulette give the developers a chance to make the studio look just right, and in some cases the human dealers wear outfits that fit the theme too. This is something that can add to the gameplay, as bonus rounds give us the chance to delve deeper into the game, TV show, or whatever else inspired the game.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Live Roulette is a good example, as it incorporates a bonus round as well as various other elements from the globally successful quiz show. Age of the Gods Live Roulette also has a bound round as well as being part of the progressive jackpot pool that all Age of the Gods games take part in.

Spread Bet Versions Add a Second Wheel

Spread betting has come to roulette, with several developers creating their own live versions of this roulette variant. It’s not exactly the same as spread betting in financial markets, as explained here by the IG site, as you have two wheels that spin in different directions. You can either carry out a traditional roulette bet or else choose the spread bet option.

If you want to place a spread bet, you need to pick a range of numbers, such as 0-1 or 2-11. This range covers the total amount of the numbers on both wheels added together, while the biggest win on a spread bet is typically a lot higher than on a straight-up bet. For example, the 0-1 range is the least likely to come up, and it pays at 400 to 1 in some cases.

With more people playing online games, we can expect to see the top developers continue the different ways of making roulette appealing to every type of player. There will always be room for the classic gameplay that’s survived centuries in the world’s casinos according to the history listed by Britannica, but we should start to see more use of features such as bonus rounds and multipliers to keep the genre fresh.

When you sign up to a casino site, deposit money and play, you have to be confident your personal data and funds are protected and that you will be able to cash out your winnings. However, with so many online casinos now in operation, it can be difficult to know which are safe. So, here are five signs you are playing on a legitimate casino website.

1. The site has security measures in place

As part of their day-to-day operations, online casinos are required to obtain and store lots of personal data, including customer contact details and payment information. It is therefore important that a site has measures in place to stop this data from being stolen. Two simple ways to check this are to make sure the web address (URL) starts with “https” and has a padlock symbol in the address bar, both indicating the connection is secure and that the site is legitimate.

2. The site is licenced by a recognised jurisdiction

One key sign that an online casino is reputable is that it holds a licence from a recognised jurisdiction. Each country has its own rules relating to in-person and remote gambling. In countries where online gambling is allowed, operators are usually required to hold a relevant licence. In the UK, gambling is regulated and licensed by the Gambling Commission. Some of the other jurisdictions that issue reputable licences include Gibraltar, Alderney, the Isle of Man, and Malta.

3. The site offers legitimate payment options

A crucial aspect of playing on an online casino is the safety of the payment process. This covers making an initial deposit, receiving and cashing out winnings, accessing any monetary bonuses, and withdrawing all funds. Legitimate casinos will offer a variety of recognised payment options, such as Visa, Mastercard and PayPal. Nowadays, many online casinos also offer the ability to transact in the major cryptocurrencies.

4. The site features reputable software

The games available on online casinos run through software provided by a third-party developer. An indication that a casino website is reputable is that it employs gaming software from one or more of the “big names” in the industry, such as NetEnt, Microgaming, Playtech and Evolution. This is important to ensure your personal data remains secure. Casino games developed by legitimate software providers also undergo independent testing to ensure the outcome is always fair.

5. The site has a customer verification process

A strong customer verification process is a further indication the site takes the gambling regulations rules seriously. While it can be frustrating to have to wait to deposit and play, by verifying new customers, the site is protecting itself and its existing customer base. The process can identify such issues as under-age gambling, money laundering and other fraudulent activity.

Playing on an online casino is a risk, not just in terms of placing bets but due to concerns over the legitimacy of the site. By doing a little research to ensure the site is properly regulated and operated professionally, you can help to ensure your deposits, winnings and personal data are secure.

Gloria McKenzie became the largest single lottery winner in history when she won the Powerball lottery in May 2003. Despite the odds of 1 in 175 million, the eighty-four-year-old grandmother won the jackpot.

In the Publix Supermarket, Gloria was waiting to purchase her daily Powerball ticket, a quick-pick ticket with randomly generated numbers. Throughout her life, she has always purchased her tickets there and never chose her numbers herself.

In line, people ahead of her graciously allowed Gloria to slip ahead of them without considering the implications. In addition to her winning ticket, Gloria purchased four more Powerball tickets for a total investment of ten dollars.

It was Wednesday, May 19th, 2003, when the Powerball numbers were released. During that night, Gloria kept watching the results late into the night. The moment the numbers were drawn, she knew she had won before even looking at her ticket.

After receiving the news, she got in touch with lawyers and financial advisors. She asked them questions and filled out all the necessary paperwork. The prize wasn’t claimed by Gloria until June 5th as she wanted all preparations done in advance.

Her outfit for the visit to the Florida State lottery offices included a pink blouse, white pants, and black sunglasses to conceal her face. Despite being surrounded by reporters, Gloria gripped her son’s arm tightly, refusing to answer questions.

A lump-sum withdrawal was recommended for her due to her age. In total, nearly $371 million was earned, and after taxes, $278 million was earned.

During the time she claimed her prize, she shared the money with her son, Scott.

Gloria moved out of her apartment and acquired a home in Jacksonville, FL near her son for 1.2 million dollars. As a retired teacher, and In honour of her fondness for education, Gloria donated $2 million to Schneck High School in East Millinocket, Maine.

In 2019 she sued her son for hiring a financial advisor with no experience of managing this amount of money on account of high fees and little returns. In 2021 Gloria died prior to the case reaching a conclusion.