Gambling has definitely managed to change the lives of so many people. It can be a fun and exciting way to spend both your time and money. But, with our top-rated online casinos coming into play, players from around the globe will give you access to hundreds of slot machines, roulette tables, table games, live dealer games and other great gaming features. In turn, they get to make millions if not billions annually from gaming online. Here are some of the biggest winners in the history of online gambling.
Edward Thorp
Edward Thorp was born on October 20 1930 in Los Angeles California. He is known to have been an American mathematician who discovered how to beat the casino. After graduating high school he worked as a clerk for several years before developing his mathematical genius. From there on things took off. He went on to become number one of more than 50,000 mathematicians at MIT where he developed what is now called computerized card counting. His method allowed him to win over $2 million playing poker. This led to him being hired by the CIA to count cards in Las Vegas casinos. At this point, it is said that Edward started using his skills to gain money illegally. While working undercover, he bet against big bookies and won over 100 times bigger than the bets he placed. So, when Thorp discovered a means to beat the odds, he made sure no one would ever discover that secret again.
Ed Edmondson
One day in 1976, Ed Edmondson checked out a magazine and saw something very interesting about slots. He had played them all kinds of times but never found anything that could pay greater than evens. One day, while playing slots in Atlantic City a strange thing happened. He noticed that sometimes three cherries appeared in a row. That’s right – THREE CERIOUS. On each spin, three cherry symbols came up. If Ed figured all this out then why didn’t everyone else? Well, he went home, did some research, and realized he had stumbled upon the winning formula. Within days the craze caught on and Ed became rich beyond words. He used his fortune to open up casinos in Reno Nevada. However, he wanted to make sure that others couldn’t find any secrets like his. Eventually, someone else discovered the secret behind the 3 cherries. And since that time more people have discovered ways to earn money playing slots. Today, slots are considered the most popular form of gambling.
Penny Slots
In 1992, Charles Van Loan got frustrated because he wasn’t able to win much-playing poker online. Since Van Loan loved to gamble, he decided to use his knowledge to create poker software which became known as Penny Slots. Then, he began looking for new games to add to his growing collection. Soon after he found these two games: Pick A Duck and Pick A Pear. The first game required players to choose between a duck and a pear. For every correct answer, their score increased. The second game involved choosing a fruit. Correct answers were worth points. These two simple games became hugely popular in less than 10 minutes. Millions of dollars poured into PennySlots.com within months and soon the company grew into the largest maker of slot machine games. During its peak period, Penny Slots earned more than US$4 billion per year. Today, the company continues to thrive under the name, Slotland.
Bingo
It was in 1891 during a church meeting that a man named Jack Williams introduced bingo. The idea was based on a children’s game called “bingo” in which players tried to match numbered squares to uncover hidden prizes. At the time, Williams and his colleagues believed that religious meetings should always end on a positive note. They thought that ending them with an activity such as bingo would keep participants on a happy note. Their theory proved successful and soon groups were adopting the game. Bingo eventually spawned a huge industry involving thousands of different variations of the original game. Nowadays, it’s estimated that people play bingo once or twice a week. In fact, many people think that the game is the reason they’re alive today. It seems that bingo has proven itself to be a good luck charm for many people. But bingo can also become a very serious form of entertainment.
Bill Benter
Bill Benter is one of the world’s leading authorities on casino gaming. He graduated from University College London where he studied Mathematics and Computer Science. After completing graduate school at University of Edinburgh, he joined Scientific Games International in 1984. From there he moved over to Novomatic AG where he worked until 1989. At that point, he joined Interactive Data Group. His career has been centered on helping develop casino products and services. Bill has helped launch several large-scale interactive brands including LUCKY JACK, POKRAJEWSKA GROWTH and SNG SLOTZONE. More recently he has turned his attention to digital media technology. Bill is currently working on a few projects with major film studios. Among many other things, he has worked on live multi-channel simulcasting and 3D TV content.
JackpotCity
What if you won millions of dollars each hour? What if you owned your own airline? What if you were the best player in the world? This is exactly what happens when you play at JackpotCity. It’s a site with countless opportunities for anyone who loves to get lucky.
