Visiting a casino is fun. But winning at a casino is exponentially more fun. There’s simply no denying that, even with all the inherent joy of the game. After all, free money is the stuff dreams are made of. So even though we’re the first to advocate the pleasure of a casino visit, no matter what the outcome – playing the pokies, being dealt in at the blackjack table, or spinning the roulette wheel – let’s be honest, we too hope to win, and win big at that. And we’re sure you do too.

So while we can’t really tell you how to make that happen, beyond a few tips to follow, we can offer you a little encouragement and motivation. And what is better for that than to have a look at those who have managed to beat the odds in the biggest ways possible. That is, the biggest offline casino wins recorded in Australia. These individuals, the games they played, and the cash winnings they accrued are nothing short of inspirational. How so? For starters, there’s a theory that once something is accomplished in the world as pokies win in our case, it becomes infinitely more possible. This is the “scientific” side of what is called precedent. Then there’s the personal boost of precedent, i.e. something to identify with; because once you have seen that something can be achieved, you know that the next big winner can, in fact, be you.

To fully grasp what we mean let’s uncover some of the biggest casinos wins in Australia. Plus, as a bonus, a few life lessons that can be learned along the way.

Huge $3.6 million poker win at the Crown Perth casino

Since we’re a pokies review portal, you might think we would want to insist that the biggest money is in the pokies. This is perhaps true, but there are also some very serious cash winnings that can be won at other casino games, particularly poker games, in our local land-based casinos.

For example, in June 2019, one local poker player (who has continued to wish to remain anonymous) won the fantastic sum of AU$3.6 million with a royal flush in a heated game, within the stunning confines of none other than the Crown Perth resort and casino. This win was made all the more impressive since he started off his trail to the big times with a mere AU$15 buy-in. Goes to show, in casino gambling a little money can go a long way.

A break from roulette that really paid

This, of course, isn’t the first or only time that a poker player won a multi-million jackpot at the Crown Perth. Back in 2016, another fortunate poker player by the name of Nigel Williams

also hit the big times with a royal flush, taking home a somewhat smaller, though rather an impressive prize of AU$2.7 million on a $10 bet he placed on Texas Holdem poker. Once again, the return on investment was particularly impressive here.

And how did it happen? According to Williams’ own account, he was actually playing the roulette wheel when he decided to take a break and switch things up a bit, to try his hand and luck at the cards. Hence, one of the biggest offline casinos wins recorded in Australia is not only an impressive sum but also makes for a good life lesson or at least a good way to gamble by. And that is when luck doesn’t seem to be going your way, take a break. Either walk away or try something new. Sometimes that is all it takes to get on the right track.

One Aussie who reaps it in playing keno, blackjack, and other gambling games

Ever heard of Zeljko Ranogajec? He’s an Australian businessman turned professional gambler who single-handedly has collected a number of the biggest jackpots in Australian casino history. His gambling streak and the empire he built around it is so serious, that he even has a Wikipedia page dedicated to him! So what has he done?

Well for starters, he is considered, and we quote: “one of the most prolific and innovative advantage players of all time”. In fact, he got so good at card counting that he was eventually banned from most Australian casinos. So he did what any great gambler in his position would do, and moved overseas to the United States. Once he wore his welcome thin there as well, due to similar activities, he eventually moved on to Europe where he currently resides most of the year.

His best game was perhaps blackjack, which earned him many profits as well as a place in the Blackjack Hall of Fame. But his biggest win is likely a keno jackpot of $7.5 million that he collected at the North Ryde RSL Club in New South Wales, Australia all the way back in 1994. This was indeed a huge single windfall, but it is important to keep in mind in this instance that he bet probably as much if not more to win it. However, he claims that combined with other smaller prizes he picked up along the way, he made a profit here. Either way, if we’re counting the biggest land-based wins it’s not really a factor of what you bet to get there, so a gross sum of $7.5M is definitely up there.

In addition, Ranogajec has continued to be a major player in the Australian horse betting scene. There are even reports that his bets account for up to 8% of Tabcorp, the Australian bookmaker’s annual $10 billion of revenue. How much he has recouped there from all that wagering is anyone’s guess, but we’d imagine huge sums have gone back and forth, and that he has made a pretty penny along the way. The Australian Financial Review, for example, assessed his net worth at $600 million. A relative of his, however, claims Ranogajec is a multi-billionaire. And all that from gambling-related activities, much of them offline which certainly puts him in the Australian casino record books.

An Australian tycoon in Vegas makes a massive blackjack win

Our next big land-based casino win in Australia didn’t actually take place within our borders. But it was collected by a fellow Australian and it was mighty impressive, so we surely think it counts. Perhaps you have even heard of this one, as it was that legendary in its day. And that is the 1991 blackjack win of the Australian media tycoon and frequent gambler, Kerry Packer, at the Last Vegas Hilton casino. How much? He collected $7 million in prize money at the public blackjack table (i.e. from regular players like us!) and not in a special gambling room you would imagine such a high roller would play.

Keep in mind, however – and here come another one of our lessons – high rolling has high consequences, which can be either good or bad. Packer’s massive blackjack win was the positive end. But in the year 2000, he actually lost an astonishing $33 million dollars during a three-day gambling spree at the baccarat tables at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Biggest pokies jackpot wins at an offline casino

Now we are going to say something that may surprise you. It certainly surprised us. And that is that it is extremely difficult to find any concrete information regarding big offline casino pokies wins in Australia. Is this because no players in Australia have won a significant sum playing pokies in our local establishments? We highly doubt this is true. In fact, we have personally born witness to big offline pokies wins upon occasion. Okay then, is it because the amounts won were not worthy enough to be written about? Or are such wins that frequent that they’re simply not news? Perhaps these may be the reasons. Or maybe the casinos themselves or the individual players covet a degree of privacy in the matter. Who knows really? But that is the way things currently stand; though we will surely update you as our research continues and we come across more noteworthy pokies wins.

That being said, we can give you a bit of inspiration from the world of online pokies play, even if this article is meant to be all about offline casino wins. For example, one of the biggest online pokies wins by an Australian player was a $6.9 million prize collected playing the Arabian Nights progressive jackpot game from NetEnt. This, of course, isn’t even near the biggest online pokies win ever which was recorded as €18,915,721 (or some AUD $31,000,000 according to the current exchange rate) on September 28, 2018, on the infamous Microgaming Mega Moolah game.

A few tips to improve your chances at a big casino win

The biggest offline casino wins recorded in Australia that we have highlighted thus far are a great source of information. But beyond inspiration (and helping us with our trivia repertoire), they give us food for thought, as we wonder how to get there.

Want to be a big casino winner yourself? Here are a few tips to consider:

• Recognize your odds – First of all, you need to recognize that in all likelihood you will not win. This mindset is super-duper extremely important to your general wellbeing. That is to your mental health, your physical health, and your overall finances. Casino games are based on odds. And the odds are designed so that the casino wins more often than you. Otherwise, the casinos would be out of business. It’s as simple as that. So always remember this when going in.

• Choose your games wisely – Each and every casino game has its own house edge. Some genres as a whole are higher than others. For example, roulette is considered a decent odds game. But there’s a difference in terms of which type you play. American roulette has around a 5.26% house edge while European roulette is generally quoted around a 2.7% house edge. Since a lower housed edge is better for you, this makes European roulette a better bet if a casino win is what you’re after. A similar equation can be made for choosing between pokies machines and video poker games. Here the equation is generally made as RTP, or return to player. And this time the higher the percentage the better. Pokies games in land-based casinos usually pay in the low 90% range. In Las Vegas, for example, the number is around 92% on average. Video poker games on the other hand usually have an RTP more in the range of 95% (and even 99% is not unheard of). As such, as much as we love pokies, video poker may make for a better choice to improve your chances at a big offline casino win.

• Hone your skills – Games that involve a degree of skill generally have better odds. As such, it can be well worth your while to take a break from the pokies machines to learn a bit of blackjack or baccarat to increase your chances at a win. If you want, you can even practice for free at an online casino, and then move on to real money bets at a land-based casino near you. True, these games don’t necessarily give you the absolute thrill of a totally random pokies win. But as we saw above, for many Australian players they can certainly garner multi-million dollar wins. More hard-won perhaps, but definitely a welcome addition to any pocket.

• Keep a clear head – If you are getting tired, feeling unlucky, losing a lot, or simply losing patience, it is time to take a break. Gambling is meant to be fun. And bad energy is not going to help anything. As such, always pay full attention to what you are doing as you gamble. This includes how much you are betting, as well as wins and losses – so you can keep your tab straight. Also, it is highly advised to refrain from drinking when you gamble. Needless to say, this is elemental in maintaining a sharp mind.

Other things to keep in mind include changing up games from time to time, setting yourself both time and money limits per session, and persevering over the long-haul. Beyond that, there’s not much to say. None of these tips will guarantee you a win. Casino gambling, after all, is predominantly a matter of luck. So at most, we can wish you the best of luck!

Summary of the biggest offline casino wins in Australia

We hope this article served as the inspiration it was meant to be. While these are only some of the biggest offline casino wins recorded in Australia, and only a drop in the bucket compared to what has been won in the rest of the world, they are a nice indicator of what can be achieved. True, we are not all destined to become instant millionaires. But knowing it is possible helps make each wager more fun. Because bottom line, the dream is part of what gives casino gambling such enduring appeal.