Gambler wins life-changing jackpot, by far the biggest of the year in South MS
A player spent 21 minutes courting a slot machine at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino over the weekend and won by far the biggest jackpot this year at a Biloxi-area casino.
The person from Louisiana, who declined to be identified, started playing Panda Magic at 4:36 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1, and hit it big at 4:57 p.m.
The $50 bet on the $2 demon slot machine paid $1,283,085.59. This is the first jackpot this year in South Mississippi to top $1 million and the fourth jackpot in 2025 at the Beau Rivage.
Players have scored 14 jackpots of $100,000 or more this year on slot machines, video poker and table games.
Panda Magic is part of the Dragon Link family of Aristocrat games.
The 14 winners include:
$1.28 million — Won Aug. 1 by an unidentified player from Louisiana at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi. The person won with a $50 bet on a $2 demon Panda Magic slot machine.
$402,411 —Won May 9 by Santigo S. (no last name provided) at Golden Nugget Casino Biloxi. He played blackjack for about an hour and 20 minutes when he hit the jackpot on a side bet on the casino’s 21+3 Blackjack Progressive game.
$392,638 — Won July 2 at Scarlet Pearl Casino in D’Iberville by Patricia P. (no last name or state of residence provided). She way playing Fortune Pai Gow Poker on and won with a 7-card straight flush.
$300,000 — Won Feb. 15 by a player from Birmingham, Alabama, at Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi on a 2-credit bet. It was a 2-credit bet on the same $100 denomination Triple Double Stars slot machine that hit a jackpot on Feb. 12.
$270,000 — Won Jan. 22 at Beau Rivage Casino in Biloxi during a rare snowstorm. A South Carolina player was playing a $100 Triple Double Stars slot machine and won on a $200 bet.
$233,519 — Won July 10 at IP Casino Biloxi by Jeffrey from Florida (no last name or hometown disclosed). He placed a $10 standard bet plus a $1 side bet to win the progressive jackpot on Light & Wonder’s Blazing 7s Blackjack table.
$211,961 — Won June 16 at Harrah’s Gulf Coast in Biloxi by Jayne (no last name provided) from Texas, She was playing a DJ Poker game.
$150,000 — Won Feb. 12 by a player from Gulfport at Beau Rivage Casino in Biloxi playing a $100 denomination Triple Double Stars machine with a 1-credit bet.
$150,000 — Won March 21 at Hard Rock Casino Biloxi. The unidentified player from Georgia was playing Triple Triple Bonus video poker game when, just minutes apart, she won $100,000 and $50,000.
$144,563 — Won June 13 at Scarlet Pearl Casino by an unidentified woman playing at the Blackjack Blazing 7s table.
$142,551 — Won March 7 at Palace Casino Resort in Biloxi by Shawn (no last name provided), of Mobile, Ala, while playing the Lightning Buffalo Link slot machine.
$112,098 — Won May 15 by an unidentified player in Scarlet Pearl’s high-limits Orchid Room on an Aristocrat Lightning Cash machine and a 50-cent demon. The player bet $12.50.
$100,000 — Won March 6 by an unidentified player from Kentucky at Hard Rock Casino Biloxi. He was playing a Game King video poker machine, betting $125 per spin on the $25 Triple Double Bonus Poker.
$100,000 — Won July 19 by unidentified man at Harrah’s Gulf Coast playing Double Top Dollar slot machine.
This story was originally published August 4, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
