Casino doubles 106-year-old woman’s winnings after she hit jackpot
An 106-year-old woman who went to a Milwaukee casino every year for her birthday was treated to a double jackpot.
Sarah Peterson was a regular at the Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for her birthday celebrations, and having made it to the ripe old age of 106, she's been plenty of times.
Her birthday on Wednesday (23 August) saw her win a $1,000 jackpot while at the casino, but a couple of days later the casino CEO decided to double her prize.
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According to WBAL, the 106-year old said she was 'happy' with her double jackpot and while she didn't know what she was going to do with the cash, she thought she was 'going to make a good choice'.
Peterson also shared the secret behind her long life, saying she lived a 'good life' and 'took good care of myself', telling them: "I didn't drink, I didn't smoke, I didn't go to the tavern."
The casino's owner Dominic Ortiz told them that the 106-year-old was one of their regulars and they had welcomed her often on her birthday.
He said: "We've welcomed Sarah every year for her birthday and are grateful that she and her family celebrate with us.
"We were all elated when we heard about her big win and wanted to make her 106th birthday even more special."
Doubling her jackpot on her birthday was certainly a much better result than someone else who struck it lucky at a casino and was offered a far more paltry reward.
One woman who racked up a jackpot of an incredible $43 million thought her life was about to change before being told her machine had actually malfunctioned and her winnings were more like $2.25.
By way of compensation the casino offered her a steak dinner, which is nice - but unless it's a damn good bit of steak, it's not $43 million worth of nice.
There are some who have struck it luckier, including one gambler who turned $40 into $10 million on the slot machines.
While casinos like repeat customers and are happy for them to win a jackpot every now and then, the simple fact is that they don't stay open by losing money.
The gambling industry is built on people losing money and they don't want people to nearly bankrupt them by winning big.
There's always the temptation for one more roll of the dice or one more spin and while it pays off in a select few cases, by and large it's just going to be more money going down the drain.
Joe Harker