Ten Craziest Bingo Wins in American History

Bingo might be a humble game of chance, but for a lucky few, it has led to life-changing payouts. Below, OLBG count down the top ten biggest bingo wins ever recorded in the United States, ranked by their jaw-dropping prize values. (And stick around, after the top ten, we’ll reveal some massive online bingo wins and even outrageous non-cash prizes that add extra flair to bingo’s history!)

1. The $10 Million Las Vegas Mystery Jackpot (2012)

Topping the list is a legendary bingo win that sounds almost too crazy to be true. In 2012, an anonymous 60-year-old woman in Las Vegas reportedly hit a $10,000,000 bingo jackpot, by far the largest bingo prize in American history. This staggering windfall is nearly five times bigger than the official world-record bingo prize (~$2.1 million). Details about this Vegas mega-win are scarce (the winner apparently kept a low profile), but it remains the ultimate bingo lore: a single bingo session paying out eight figures. It eclipses anything seen before and since, making it the holy grail of bingo wins in the U.S.

2. Carol Y.’s $5.5 Million Win - Las Vegas (2012)

Not far behind is another Las Vegas bingo bonanza. In 2012, Carol Y., a retired school teacher, was playing at a Vegas casino when she hit a special bingo tournament jackpot worth $5.5 million. Carol had been a bingo regular for years and always dreamed of a big win. That dream became reality when she covered her card to claim the top prize of the tournament. At the time, this was one of the largest bingo payouts ever seen in the U.S. Carol’s unbelievable win allowed her to retire comfortably and proved that sometimes, what happens in Vegas really pays off.

3. John T.’s $3.3 Million Jackpot - California (2014)

The West Coast got its turn in 2014, when a gentleman identified as John T. won a whopping $3.3 million at a bingo hall in California. John T. had been a bingo enthusiast for many years, often hoping for that one big win. It finally came during a special event at his local hall, where he hit a jackpot that instantly made him a multimillionaire. This California bingo windfall is one of the largest on record, and it highlights that huge bingo prizes aren’t limited to Vegas, even a neighbourhood bingo hall can surprise you with a seven-figure payout!

4. Susan R.’s $2.5 Million Win - New York (2015)

The East Coast entered the bingo record books in 2015. In New York, a long-time player named Susan R. clinched a colossal $2.5 million jackpot at her local bingo hall. Susan was a regular who never gave up on the game, and her persistence paid off spectacularly. She hit the coverall jackpot during a special bingo event, becoming an instant millionaire. This win is noted as the largest bingo prize ever in New York, and it spread hope among bingo buffs that anyone could be one lucky card away from a fortune.

5. Foxwoods’ Firecracker Bingo - $1 Million (2011)

One of the first bona fide million-dollar bingo wins in the U.S. took place at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut. To celebrate 25 years of bingo operations, Foxwoods hosted a high-stakes “Firecracker Bingo” event on July 2, 2011, and it paid off big. Jennifer McKenzie, from Niantic, CT, hit the jackpot and took home $1,000,000 in cash. This was a landmark moment, as it proved American bingo halls could produce seven-figure winners. (At the same event, another player won a brand-new Corvette as a door prize, more on non-cash prizes later!) Foxwoods’ bingo hall, the largest in North America, truly made history that day with a cool million going to one very lucky winner.

6. Birthday Millionaire at Lone Butte - $1 Million (2018)

In 2018, an Arizona man got an unforgettable birthday present courtesy of bingo. While playing the Bingo Millions game at Gila River’s Lone Butte Casino (in the Phoenix area), this unnamed 34-year-old hit the top prize of $1,000,000 on his birthday. The Bingo Millions game is billed as “the world’s richest regular session bingo game,” and it lived up to its name that night. The birthday winner’s life-changing jackpot underscores how newer bingo innovations (like nationwide linked progressives) have made million-dollar payouts a reality in American bingo halls. Not a bad way to celebrate turning another year older!

7. “Lucky Tara” Strikes it Rich - $250,000 (2018)

Sometimes you don’t need a million to make bingo history. In 2018, a player known as Tara (a Pennsylvania resident visiting New York) won $250,000 at the Seneca Gaming & Entertainment bingo hall in Salamanca, NY. This quarter-million jackpot came during the Seneca casino’s 36th anniversary Million Dollar Bingo Special. Tara managed to get a coverall in 48 calls, landing the biggest bingo payout ever recorded in Western New York. (She was just one ball short of the $1 million grand prize!) The crowd was thrilled to witness the record-breaking win, even at a “mere” $250k. Tara’s big payday proved that six-figure prizes are within reach at regional bingo events, you don’t have to be in Vegas to win a small fortune.

8. Record “Cash Ball” at Santa Fe Station - $199,578 (2025)

Las Vegas makes another appearance on our list, this time with a record-setting bingo Cash Ball jackpot. In May 2025, local player Clementine K. hit a $199,578 jackpot during the 3 p.m. bingo session at Santa Fe Station casino. This win was the largest bingo cash-ball jackpot in Station Casinos’ history, according to the company. The Cash Ball is a progressive bonus in Station’s bingo halls, and Clementine’s nearly $200k prize had been building up for months before her lucky numbers came in. Her win generated plenty of excitement (and some joyful screaming) in the northwest Las Vegas Valley. It goes to show that even outside of special million-dollar events, bingo jackpots can creep up to astonishing amounts during regular casino sessions.

9. Dorothy Black’s Lucky Eagle Jackpot - $133,639 (2014)

In August 2014, Dorothy Black of Olympia, WA made headlines by winning $133,639 at the Lucky Eagle Casino & Hotel, the largest bingo prize in that casino’s history. The CEO himself presented Dorothy with an oversized check to mark the occasion. She won the jackpot playing a standard session at Lucky Eagle’s bingo hall, which shows that sometimes even smaller tribal casinos can produce six-figure winners. For Dorothy, a long-time player, this amount was truly life-changing. Her big win is fondly remembered in Washington’s bingo community as proof that persistence and a bit of luck can lead to a record-breaking bingo haul.

10. Oklahoma’s Biggest Bingo Win - $100,000 (2018)

Rounding out our top ten is the largest bingo win in Oklahoma’s history to date. In September 2018, Melissa Resendiz hit a $100,000 jackpot at the Goldsby Gaming Center in Norman, OK. She was playing the “Bingo Millions 5 Combo” game and nailed a coverall on the 47th ball, triggering the six-figure prize. Melissa’s win was part of a new bingo progressive rollout, and it set the state record for bingo payouts. “This win is life-changing and a blessing,” Melissa said afterwards, still in disbelief at her good fortune. While $100k is the smallest prize on this list, it’s no small potatoes - and in many bingo circles, a prize of that size is considered astronomical (and certainly crazy enough to celebrate!).