Divine Fortune Online Slot Strikes In Michigan With $175K Jackpot Win

The new Michigan online casino industry has its first reported big online jackpot courtesy of Divine Fortune.

A West Michigan man hit a $175,000 online slot progressive jackpot recently through Stars Casino. The jackpot, reported first by FOX 17, was won by a Zeeland firefighter on a $10 bet while he was recovering from back surgery.

There’s the potential to see similar scores as time goes on and the online gambling industry continues to grow.

Zeeland firefighter wins big MI online casino prize

Brandon Holmes rebooted an old PokerStars account and figured he’d give the recently launched online Stars Casino a shot.

“I used to use PokerStars all the time,” Holmes told FOX 17. “I saw that they reopened along with sports betting recently, so I was like, ‘Ah, it’s PokerStars, I haven’t been on there in years, I’ll go back on there.’”

It paid off for Holmes, who is also a part-time paramedic.

Holmes told the TV station that he plans to use the money to help pay for his summer wedding and honeymoon. There’s also some landscaping needed at his new house, and he will invest the rest.

“It was kind of a blessing that it happened right now, with being off work,” he said. “That would normally be a day I’d be working, so I wouldn’t be able to play poker at all. It just worked out in my favor.”

Coincidentally, the expanded gambling options also benefit other ailing first responders. As part of the laws, Michigan’s online casino gaming platforms will kick in $4 million annually to the state’s First Responder Presumed Coverage Fund, which compensates firefighters with certain cancers for their coverage.

Divine Fortune progressive jackpots have hit in other states

Although they certainly aren’t commonplace, Divine Fortune jackpots will continue to pop up here. It is one of the only games available at all 11 active online casino sites in Michigan.

But the game is also available in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, two other states with active online casino markets. One New Jersey woman hit three Divine Fortune jackpots over six months at PlaySugarhouse, totaling nearly $300,000.

The PokerStars Casino launched Jan. 29, along with fellow Flutter brands Fox Bet for sports betting and PokerStars, which is still the only live Michigan online poker site.

The online gambling brands are partnered with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. The tribe operates a pair of Odawa Casinos in the northern Lower Peninsula.

Winner’s message: Please gamble responsibly

The NetEnt progressive slots game has a minimum bet of 20 cents and a maximum bet of $100.

The theoretical return to player is 96.59%, according to the game. A 3.7% contribution of each bet goes toward the mega progressive jackpot.

On Friday afternoon, the progressive mega jackpot was up to more than $140,000 at William Hill, the largest of Divine Fortune’s varieties at that time at online casinos in MI.

Holmes cautioned to gamble responsibly and not count on your own big win.

“Just because it happened to me doesn’t mean it’s going to happen to someone who sees this story,” he said. “Yeah, someone won the Powerball, too, but I’ve never won it when I’ve played.”