Robert S. is a frequent patron at Valley View Casino & Hotel and has been playing the slots there for about five years

Slot machines are such mainstays of modern casinos and slot games so widely played online today that you might think it’s always been so. But everything has its beginnings, and slots have evolved over the last 120 years. The first three-reel slot machine had a maximum jackpot of half an American dollar.

It’s hard to make a penny stretch in 2019 but a San Diego man did just that: he won more than $1.6 million playing a penny slot machine at a casino in Valley Center, California.

Robert S. is a frequent patron at Valley View Casino & Hotel on Nyemii Pass Place in San Diego’s North County, east of Escondido. Recently, as he often does, Robert took the Luxury Line bus to the casino.

He took a seat in front of an IGT “Wheel of Fortune Ultra-Wheels” penny slot machine and got to playing. What happened next was priceless.

Robert hit the jackpot on the slot machine, winning a payout of $1,664,509.91.

Man Playing Slot Machine Online And Won

He immediately thought he was dreaming.

“I’m still in shock. I couldn’t sleep for two days. I was up tossing and turning and thought they would call me and say the machine malfunctioned,” Robert said in a press release from Valley View Casino & Hotel.

Robert said he’s been going to Valley View Casino & Hotel for about five years but never imagined his slot-playing would turn him into a millionaire.

He told the casino he plans to use his winnings to start his retirement earlier than he expected and will invest his money into his future.

Youtube People Playing Slot Machines

Randy Reedy, vice president of gaming operations for the casino, said it’s exciting to watch a customer win big.

Playing Slot Machines Videos

“It’s an amazing experience when luck strikes,” he said.

Amid San Diego County’s casino expansion and construction boom, Valley View Casino & Hotel has been undergoing a $50 million renovation that will be unveiled this summer. The venue is home to restaurants, a 3,300-gallon saltwater aquarium, bars, and weekly live entertainment.

This past March, Sycuan Casino in San Diego's East County unveiled a $260 million expansion with upgrades that include a 12-story hotel and resort adjacent to the casino, plus new restaurants.