Jon Heywood, from Cheshire, England, became an overnight multi-millionaire after staking just 25p at Betway Casino.
Click the video above to watch our documentary on Jon Heywood
A British Army soldier has become an overnight multi-millionaire after landing a world-record £13,213,838.68 jackpot at Betway Casino.
And what makes it all the more incredible for lucky winner Jon Heywood, of Cheshire, England, is that his life-changing moment came courtesy of just a 25p stake.
“I couldn’t believe that I’d won all this money at the time – and it still hasn’t sunk in,” said Jon.
His win comes at a particularly tough time for his family, with his grandad recently passing away and his father awaiting a heart and lung transplant.
“The first thing I will spend it on is the best possible medical treatment for my dad. That’s more important than anything. Family comes first and I’d give all this money back for him to be healthy again.”
Jon also plans to treat his family to a luxury cruise around the Mediterranean, as well as one little indulgence for himself…
“I’m trying not to get carried away and I really don’t know what else I’m going to buy with the money,” he said. “Apart from a yellow Bentley Continental GT.
“I never even dreamed of driving a Bentley, let alone owning one. I’ve got a Fiat Punto at the moment!”
Jon’s rapid rise into the UK millionaire’s club started when he decided to register an account at Betway online casino after seeing an advert on TV.
At 11.37pm on Tuesday 6 October, he deposited a total of £30 and began to place 25p bets on the slot game ‘Mega Moolah’. It took just seven minutes until he hit the jackpot.
Jon – who has served in Afghanistan and travelled the world with the Army – had to keep his big news secret until the official prize presentation, so went into work the following morning as if nothing had changed.
“The only people I’ve been able to tell so far are my superiors at work, my girlfriend and my parents. No one thought it was real. They might do once they see my picture in the paper!”
Thanks to a euro-to-pound exchange rate of 1.3531 at the time of the win, Jon’s winnings equate to €17,879,645.12, beating the previous world record €17,861,813, set in Finland in 2013.
Betway spokesman Alan Alger said: “We couldn’t be happier for Jon – he’s an incredibly nice guy and his family will benefit immensely from his huge win.
“It just shows that the biggest prizes can be won from the smallest stakes – Mega Moolah has really lived up to its name.”
