Marine credits karma for $2.9 million slots jackpot

Feb 28, 2012, 9:57 am (15 comments)

Gambling

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — A couple of days before he hit a jackpot of nearly $3 million, Cpl. Alexander Degenhardt learned he'd been accepted as a bone marrow donor to an anonymous patient.

"They asked me if I was sure I wanted to go through with it, because it's kind of painful, but what's a little pain if it will save someone's life?" the U.S. Marine said Friday. "I look at this as kind of good karma for that."

Degenhardt's karma was worth more than $2.8 million, the second biggest jackpot for Bally Technologies, which manufactures the games and pays out the jackpots.

The 26-year-old hit the $2,882,808.32 score about 7 p.m. Sunday on the Money Vault Millionaires Seven slot at the Bellagio.

The penny slot, which takes bets from 40 cents to $2, has been building a progressive jackpot in casinos across Nevada for the past six months. Players in California, Florida, Mississippi and New Jersey also have been vying for the progressive payout, which started at $1 million.

Degenhardt and several fellow Marines had flown in from Washington D.C., where he is stationed, for training at Nellis Air Force Base. He said he and a buddy decided to kill a couple of hours at the casinos while waiting for their plane to leave over the President's Day weekend. He stuck a $100 bill into the machine and figured he'd lose it quickly. He'd never won more than $200 in credits before hitting almost $3 million.

"Dude, what just happened?" Degenhardt remembers asking his friend.

"You just won," the buddy told him.

"Cool," Degenhardt said.

He was stunned.

"It's something you always want to happen, but when it does happen you don't believe it," he said.

Degenhardt will receive about $100,000 a year over 20 years. He said he plans to first help his sister, who is pregnant, and his mother catch up on bills.

He also plans to go through with the marrow donation, which is on track to happen in the next six months after an extensive testing process.

As for some of that money burning a hole in his pocket, Degenhardt decided to buy himself some clothes — at a thrift store, where he buys all of his clothes. And he said he won't be parting with his car that has rolled up some 250,000 miles.

"I plan to keep driving it until I can't anymore," he said. "No sense in wasting money. I'm really pretty thrifty."

But he's glad he put that $100 into the slot.

News story photo(Click to display in gallery)

Las Vega Sun

Comments

mcginnin56

Hooray for GOOD KARMA!!! And big congratulations to Alex for scoring a cool $2.8 million.  PartyBanana   Hyper    Dance

CDanaT's avatarCDanaT

Great story ! Glad to hear an active duty serviceman won. I would have to believe that's a rarity in any jackpot over $2 million. Thanks for serving our country young man and thanks for giving to a person in need. Can't rule out Karma on that one !!!

dallascowboyfan's avatardallascowboyfan

Love it, Love it, Love it..... What an Awesome Man,  sacrificing his life to protect this Country & to help save someone with bone-marrow...WOW!!!

Congrats Cpl. Alex Degenhardt....Hurray!

NightStalker's avatarNightStalker

Salute to you Cpl Alex Degenhardt!  Dance

 

Nice to see a serviceman win a jackpot. 

 

Yet another reason to sign up to be a bone marrow donor.

VenomV12

If there was ever proof positive that karma exists, this is it. 

Congratulations.

s5thomps's avatars5thomps

Not bad for $100.00 investment. At only 26 years old and getting a 100,000 dollar annuity for 20 years he can be set for life with proper planning. He also says that he is thrifty so he should be just fine. Cograts Marine! Semper Fi

                                                        US Flag

mcginnin56

Quote: Originally posted by s5thomps on Feb 28, 2012

Not bad for $100.00 investment. At only 26 years old and getting a 100,000 dollar annuity for 20 years he can be set for life with proper planning. He also says that he is thrifty so he should be just fine. Cograts Marine! Semper Fi

                                                        US Flag

THRIFTY should like this guy!     Thumbs Up

maringoman's avatarmaringoman

Such a heart warming story. 1 up for the good guys

sully16's avatarsully16

Congrats Alex, and Thank You.US Flag

sandia's avatarsandia

 Congratulations, young man America, is thankful for your sacrifices, both in and out of unfirom.

Enjoy the money, young man.

  The best to you.US Flag

Piaceri

Congrats to this young man... and God bless him for his service AND for the marrow donation. What great karma this young man has!

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

That's what I call a Great American. They used to be a lot more common than they are now. That was before we became a nation of victims and excuses. 

God Bless him.

US Flag

haymaker's avatarhaymaker

pretty cool that he says its "karma'

even cooler that hes a doner,

coolest that he will brave pain to help another,

sorry,ran out of superlatives before i got to he was doing this before the win.

mightwin's avatarmightwin

Great story and congrats to him!

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