Couple Wins $1 Million at Gila River Casino Because Dog Sitter Canceled

Posted on: May 7, 2025, 07:00h. 

Last updated on: May 8, 2025, 09:57h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Restaurants, Vegas Myths Busted.
  • An Army veteran and bus driver and his wife are now millionaires after winning a Wheel of Fortune jackpot at Gila River Casino Santan Mountain in Arizona
  • They wouldn’t have gone to the casino had their dog sitter not canceled on them at the last minute

Most people get angry when the dog sitter cancels at the last minute, ruining their weekend getaway. At least one Arizona couple isn’t angry.

Mike H. poses for the obligatory “big check” photo. (Image: Gila River Resorts & Casinos)

Michael H. and his wife, Betty — as they were identified by Gila River Resorts & Casinos — had plans to visit Puerto Peñasco, a resort town on Mexico’s Sea of Cortez known as Rocky Point or “Arizona’s beach.”

The $150 million Santan Mountain casino, owned by the Gila River Indian Community, features 850 slot machines and table game positions, a high-limit gaming room, and a sportsbook run by BetMGM, (Image: Google)

Instead, they were forced to stay home in and win $1,033,590 on a Wheel of Fortune slot machine at Santan Mountain in Chandler on Saturday, May 3.

Usually, Mike and Betty gamble at Santan Mountain on Sundays, according to a press release from Gila River, but Betty was so bummed about missing their beach getaway, she suggested to Michael that they go a day earlier.

“I’m glad I listened to my wife,” Michael said.

According to Gila River, Michael is an Army veteran who worked at American Airlines for 27 years before retiring. He now drives a shuttle bus for an independent living community.

The couple say they plan to use the money to buy a new home and spend more time visiting their grandchildren, who live out of state.

Why Winners Almost Never Give Their Full Names

In case you ever wondered why most jackpot winners prefer to remain anonymous or give only their surname initial, it’s not because casinos don’t want them to identify themselves.

More often than not, they’ll offer big perks to encourage jackpot winners to share their full names in marketing and media material such as the press release cited above.

It helps enhance the perception that jackpots are attainable to real people.

But most winners prefer not to advertise their good fortune to solicitors, burglars or worse — relatives who come out of the woodwork begging for loans.

In the case of Michael and Betty H., just giving away as much of their names as they did also probably means they’ll need a new dog sitter.