Is it that I’m not lucky? Or is it that I don’t try to set myself up enough to be lucky?

Other than the occasional New Jersey lottery ticket (because hey, anything can happen in New Jersey, amirite?) I’m not much of a gambler. I only won three things in my entire life.

$100, give or take on a slot machine in Atlantic City. $40 in a 50/50 at a community theater. And $22.50 on a two-dollar bet at a racetrack.

So when I heard about someone turning less than a $4 bet into over $400,000, I was more than a little impressed. It happened at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino recently. A player who is choosing to remain anonymous bet $3.75 on a progressive Wheel of Fortune slot machine.

It hit for $415,733.03. Someone must have partied until the sun came up!

Hard Rock says the Wheel of Fortune machines are the most popular slots in the nation. How fortunate this person chose this machine from the 2,425 slots they offer. In addition, Hard Rock has 130 table games, including craps, roulette, blackjack, and baccarat.

$415,733.03 will buy a lot of pork roll, egg and cheeses. If you think that’s impressive, how about the woman last month who won in Hawaii on the same type of Wheel of Fortune slots? A $1.75 bet got her $891,000.

Last year the lucky traveler was passing through Harry Reid International Airport and stopped at a Wheel of Fortune machine there (yes, in Vegas, they have them right in the airport) and hit for $1.3 million.

But am I envious? Nah. At least with my winnings of $162.50, I was able to spend it all in one place.

LOOK: Here are 25 ways you could start saving money today

These money-saving tips—from finding discounts to simple changes to your daily habits—can come in handy whether you have a specific savings goal, want to stash away cash for retirement, or just want to pinch pennies. It’s never too late to be more financially savvy. Read on to learn more about how you can start saving now. [From: 25 ways you could be saving money today]

Gallery Credit: Bethany Adams

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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