INDIO, Calif. – The Fantasy Springs Resort Hotel & Casino became abuzz the night of Nov. 30. As bingo players lined up for evening games, a woman and her boyfriend played a penny WMS Wizard of Oz slot machine across the aisle from the Bingo Palace.
Sue A. from Danville, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay area said she had been playing the slot machine that reminded her of her childhood for about half an hour. She had already wagered about $50 and said she and her boyfriend were getting ready to leave. Her machine’s next spin, however, changed her life. She said she watched as the video reels stopped one by one on the Wizard of Oz progressive symbol until five of them lined up across the middle of the screen.
“The music started playing on the machine, the song, ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow,’ but I didn’t know what I had won. Then this message popped up on the screen. I thought to myself, ‘Oh my God.’” The message on the slot machine read that she had won the progressive jackpot amount of $1,331,195.84. Sue and her boyfriend had originally set out to play golf, though later decided to scrap that plan and spend the day doing some gaming inside Fantasy Springs Resort Casino.
“Ordinarily, I play video poker,” she said. “I saw this machine as we walked by and thought of my family so I sat down. My mom used to dress me and my three sisters up for Halloween as characters from the ‘Wizard of Oz.’ I was the Lion. My other sisters were the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and our youngest sister was Dorothy.” Even before Fantasy Springs Casino staff could talk to Sue, she had already called her parents and her sister. “I could tell my sister was driving and I said, ‘You’d better pull over.’ They just couldn’t believe it.”
Many bingo and casino patrons walked by and congratulated Sue, telling her, “Gosh, you’re a millionaire.” As the winning slot machine continued to play “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” Sue said, “I love that song!” Sue and her boyfriend had been in Southern California for the Thanksgiving holiday and came to the desert to play golf. She said she did not have any immediate plans for her winnings, though she did say she will live a little more comfortably and will help her kids.
Sue is just one of many big winners at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. The casino recently gave away a brand new, $95,000 Porsche Panamera and $370,397 to a Desert Hot Springs woman who hit a Wheel of Fortune slot progressive.
Fantasy Springs Resort Casino provides an oasis in the desert, featuring 25 “Best of Gaming” awards from Casino Player Magazine. [www .casinoplayer.com] Offering 2,000 of the hottest slots, world-class table games, entertainment, hotel, dining and golf at Eagle Falls, Fantasy Springs Resort Casino stands to meet and exceed the needs of its guests and the community.
Fantasy Springs is located right off Interstate 10, only minutes from Palm Springs and the Palm Springs International Airport. Fantasy Springs is a privately operated business of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians. For more information, call toll free (800) 827-2946 or visit the Web site.
