As most Canadians probably know, the NHL playoffs are underway. The beginning of the postseason not only saw three Canadian teams looking for the country’s first Stanley Cup since 1993, but also brought about a massive win for one lucky sports bettor.
On the casino floor, another Canadian also cashed in for a massive seven-figure jackpot as well. And this win came with quite a story and special meaning. Here’s a look at some recent big winners from the Canadian casino and gambling scene.
Puck Parlay Pays Off
The puck dropped on the Stanley Cup playoffs in April with three Canadian teams vying for a championship: the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Edmonton Oilers, and WInnipeg Jets. The country last saw one of its own teams raise the cup in 1993, when the Montreal Canadiens topped the L.A. Kings.
With the playoffs getting underway, one bettor on the online BetRivers sportsbook in Ontario decided to sweat some action on opening night. This lucky prognosticator cashed in on an unlikely parlay on April 17 – certainly a nice way to get the action started.
With a wager of only $10, the lucky bettor (name withheld) scored five figures on a four-leg parlay, according to the sportsbook. This bettor didn’t select teams to win, but chose players scoring the first goal in the four games on the slate that night.
Things got off on a nice note when Sebastian Aho (+900) grabbed the first goal of the night for the Carolina Hurricanes against the New York Rangers. David Pastrnak (+750) then deposited the puck in the net for the Boston Bruins against the Florida Panthers.
The bet was halfway home, but two more correct picks wouldn’t be easy. During the late window, Kirill Kaptrizov (+900) scored the first goal of the night for the Minnesota Wild against the Dallas Stars.
Leon Draisaitl (+850) proved to be the hero of the night for this bettor when he opened the scoring for the Edmonton Oilers against the Kings. For just 10 bucks, this handicapper collected $80,750 on odds of 8,074 to 1. The playoffs are the best time of year for many sports viewers and no doubt this perfect parlay set the right note for this hockey fan.
Slot Jackpot Had Special Meaning for Toronto Man
This wasn’t the only player cashing in for a jackpot in Canada recently. On April 19, Casino Woodbine guest Marcelo Loyola won a massive $3.2 million progressive jackpot.
The Toronto-based solutions contractor had been enjoying some time at the property owned by Great Canadian Entertainment and credited his late girlfriend for the win, according to the casino. On April 2, the couple celebrated Loyola’s 50th birthday but tragedy struck just a few days later and she passed away suddenly on April 5.
The casino had been a favorite spot for both of them and Loyola visited the property two weeks later. While his girlfriend always enjoyed playing slots, he preferred table games. But on this trip he stuck to the slots as he dealt with the unexpected loss.
“She always went upstairs to play the slots, and I would go downstairs to play the tables,” he said. “We were always there together, and the past couple of weeks have been really hard. That day I just felt her spirit in me, so I went upstairs to play the slots, even though as a table games player I never do that.”
After playing a few games, he took a seat at her favorite slot. The couple regularly watched the progressive jackpot grow, but never imagined winning. She always had her own way of playing the machine, Loyola recalled.
“Rather than waiting for the wheels to stop naturally, she would press the button to stop the machine mid-spin in an attempt for the three jackpot icons to line up,” he says.
Now without her, Loyola re-enacted her slot method – and this time it worked.
“I would always say to her, don’t play it like that, just let it spin,” he said. “But I felt her with me that night, so I played it like she did. I stopped it and it hit! I saw ‘Jackpot, Jackpot, Jackpot’ and I started screaming that I won the jackpot and running around and going crazy.”
The win drew a crowd of onlookers and casino staff, many amazed at how the turn of events played out.
“A lot of people at Casino Woodbine know us, and they knew she had just passed away,” Loyola said. “They were giving me their condolences, and at the same time they were also congratulating me. It’s just an incredibly emotional story and it’s hard for me to tell it. But I know for a fact she was there with me. It can’t be a coincidence.”
