Marine Credits Karma for $2.9 Million Bellagio Slot Jackpot
- Posted on February 26, 2012 at 12:30am by
Scott Baker
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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Marine Cpl. Alexander Degenhardt is crediting karma for landing a $2.9 million progressive slot jackpot in Las Vegas.
Degenhardt was accepted as a bone marrow donor to an anonymous patient only a couple of days before hitting the jackpot Sunday at the Bellagio, the Las Vegas Sun reported (http://bit.ly/ABQ02J).
“They asked me if I was sure I wanted to go through with it because it’s kind of painful, but what‘s a little pain if it will save someone’s life?” Degenhardt said. “I look at this jackpot as kind of good karma for that.”
Degenhardt, 26, said he plans to continue his career with the Marines and go through with the bone marrow donation, which is expected to occur in the next six months after extensive testing.
He and several fellow Marines had flown to Las Vegas from Washington, D.C., where he’s stationed, for a week of training at Nellis Air Force Base. He said he decided to kill a couple of hours before the return flight by playing the penny slot, which takes bets from 40 cents to $2, at the Bellagio. He landed the jackpot about 10 minutes later.
“I figured I’d just go lose $100 real quick,” he said. “I was overwhelmed and in shock. It’s something you always want to happen, but when it does happen you don’t believe it.”
Degenhardt, who will receive about $100,000 a year over 20 years, said he plans to first help his pregnant sister and his mother catch up on bills.
He decided to buy some clothes after the jackpot — at a thrift store, where he buys all of his clothes. He said he won’t part with his car that has rolled up some 250,000 miles, either.
“I plan to keep driving it until I can’t anymore,” he told the Sun. “No sense in wasting money. I’m really pretty thrifty.”
The Bally Technologies’ Money Vault slot machine at the Bellagio is linked with casinos across Nevada. It was the second largest jackpot ever for Bally, which makes the machines and pays out the jackpots.
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Information from: Las Vegas Sun, http://www.lasvegassun.com
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Comments (67)
ImaHippyBurning
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 10:51amI’m happy for you brother! Be smart with the money and stay away from those on the left who will do all they can to try and gently steal it all from you!
Report Post »markchristopher
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 10:28amFinally! A soldier gets a break!
A picture is worth a thousand words. I love that smile on his face!
Report Post »Blunt-Man
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 9:58amAnd exactly WHAT power does Karma work off of? No mention of Karma in the bible, so its not biblical, but for those who believe in it, whp/what gives karma its power? Talk about some short sighted people in the world.
Report Post »RinkyDink34
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 10:02amHow does God decide who gets the miracle or who dies?
Report Post »bottlegnomesdolphin
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 11:44amfor all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Seems like Karma to me. What gives gravity its power? Its not in the bible. Yet no one denies its existence. Science is starting to understand it better but not completely. And the first guy to even think of gravity come up with it when he got hit in the head by an apple, go figure. Karma is similar to gravity and is less of a Spiritual law and more of a Natural law of what comes around goes around.
Report Post »brezzeone
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 1:20pmwhy not just be happy that the guy won ?
Report Post »rugin
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 2:15pmOMG are you for real. Very shallow indeed.
Report Post »jhaydeng
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 4:32pmblunt man you’re an idiot!
Report Post »AB5r
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 10:14pmIt is an interesting question though, did God know what random number that slot machine computer would generate which ultimately determined the winning result? If he had pushed the button one microsecond earlier or later he would have gotten a different result. Also, he had to bet the max $2 in order to get the jackpot.
Report Post »RinkyDink34
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 9:18amThis Young Marine will have more new best friends then he can shack a stick at !!
Report Post »Fipper
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 9:13amGood for him. Hope he is thrify with his money. Good works always bring happiness in life, not just money.
Report Post »TheCenturion
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 8:05amI wonder if he’ll re-up?
Report Post »Baddoggy
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 7:47amI dated a girl in LV that won 1.8 million and got a lump sum payout ( she won it after we had parted ways). She was dead broke in a year. I sawher sitting at a slot machine playing nickles…
I am glad this is a yearly payout. The sad part will be that hyperinflation is going to eat it all up. In a few years 100K wont buy a loaf of bread…
Report Post »ThoreauHD
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 1:25pmYou have a point there.
Report Post »Joyzee
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 7:30amGood Karma money and marrow
Report Post »Bronco II
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 7:23amGOD blesses those who Bless others doesn’t always happen with money but this is the way GOD Blessed him.Thank you for your service Sir.
Report Post »blkbelt7
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 7:22amYES, there is a God and he loves America and those men and women who protect this Greatest Nation on Earth…
Report Post »DividedWeFail
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 6:32amHe is enlisted – which makes his win all the better. Good for him.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 7:08amCongratulations!
Now, mail a check to obama for $55,000.00 for the next 20 years.
With that an a bit of hard work at your next chosen career, you’ll be in the 1% in a flash! LOL
Now, about this “karma” thing…
It’s a bunch of new-age religious nonsense, and worked its way into our lexicon.
We have to be careful of such stuff. When we let false religious tenets into our lives and embrace them, the false religions become more normalized. This is just one of the ways our faith gets weakened.
At any rate, congratulations, Marine!
Report Post »Obama>Jesus
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 12:11pm“Now, about this “karma” thing…
Report Post »It’s a bunch of new-age religious nonsense, and worked its way into our lexicon.”
—————————————————————
Actually, “Karma” stems from the Hindu belief of the cycle of cause and effect, and dates back more than a thousand years before your Christ. In fact, Hinduism itself dates back to about 1500 BCE, where as Judaism (which Christianity is a break off cult from) doesn’t begin until about 535 BCE.
EchoHawk
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 6:56pmWhat a wonderful world this would be if TOMFERRARI knew anything about the worlds religions.
Report Post »furnatic
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 6:01amGood for you Marine! 150,000 is what it takes for you to buy out your contract and live a comfortable life, if you so choose to. I honestly can say I would. Then I could finally live out my dream and join a paid fire-department. In other words, don’t waste it
Report Post »holy ghostbuster
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 7:09amBuy out your contract? Since when can you do that? Your advice might leave him in the poorhouse after 20 years. Even if you are correct, take that $150k buyout off of his winnings and that leaves him with $92,500 to live off of for the next 20 years in which he will then be only 46 years old with lots of life left. He’ll probably get married and have a couple of kids along the way, eating away at his cash reserves.
Report Post »000degrees
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 7:31amNeither one of you two have any idea about Jarheads or how to count for that matter……..
Report Post »BuggiOlleo
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 6:01amKarma is ill fated not a fade to faint..you can’t catch it–most don’t want it..Nice little saying though.
Report Post »midnightgolfer
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 5:46amProvidence
Report Post »Karma
Etc
MR_ANDERSON
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 4:45amI believe in God, Jesus, and Karma.
Karma – action, seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad, either in this life or in a reincarnation:
The “OR” means I do not have to believe in the reincarnation part, but that I can stand alone in believing that my actions will have consequences in my life.
If you aren’t religious, and you think religion is just a tool to teach people to be civil, then basically Karma is a belief structure to support teaching responsibility in your actions, because those actions will determine your path in life.
If you are religious, is it not true that the choices you make in this life no matter what they are, have an effect on what happens in your life, and possibly the afterlife?
Karma is just a fancy name for the means of earning rewards (Both positive and negative) in your life. If you do what you are suppose to in life, you’ll find that things will happen pretty easy. If you don’t, sooner or later life will knock you down.
Report Post »BuggiOlleo
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 6:08amYour definition of Karma is Mooni — Sun Myung Moon.. Certainly, you do remember airports in the seventies–
Report Post »MR_ANDERSON
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 9:53amYou mean with no TSA?
Report Post »campt1
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 4:34amI am sure he will use the money in a responsible way by also helping his fellow wounded Marines.
Report Post »stm62
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 3:24amHe should get to keep every cent of it. Marines sacrifice plenty for our freedoms.
Report Post »Buggs
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 2:16amHe is going to end up blowing the whole thing by next weekend
Report Post »neidermeyer
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 6:44amHe‘s getting the 20 year payout which means he’ll be able to buy a pack of cigarettes with that $100,000.00 yearly by this time in 2014 , I’d go deep into debt right now with durable goods (land and equipment/food) to the point where the payments ate up most of the 100k… What confuses me is why the casino didn’t immediately step in and insist that the machine was in error and tell him that he won nothing that seems to be their SOP.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 1:45amKARMA? — I guess he will be smoking that Cheque!
Report Post »LolaB
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 1:43amIt’s sad…but today that kinda money does not go too far…after Obama gets his greedy hands on it…there’s not a whole lot left.
Report Post »Deborah
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 5:29am@LOLAB, you took the words right out of my mouth!
Report Post »captainamericaisatalibankilla
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 1:28amOorah Marine! Glad to se a feel good story like this every once in a while!
Report Post »Got2bRoni
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 1:24amSemper Fi.. enjoy…..
Report Post »Macman1138
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 6:47amAmen.
Report Post »My family and I are happy for him and his family.
copatriots
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 1:11amGood for him!!! Thank you for your service, Marine!
Report Post »banjarmon
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 1:10amMarine Cpl. Alexander Degenhardt!!! Sir…THANK YOU FOR SERVING OUR COUNTRY….Be safe with your winnings!!
Report Post »MEANS2RESIST
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 2:03amAyeeeyuuuuut!
Report Post »TSUNAMI-22
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 2:13amx2
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 12:33amSemper Fi young Man. Live long and prosper.
Report Post »TSUNAMI-22
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 12:39amHe’s going to learn that his anonymity was worth more than that 2.9 million.
I wish the guy well.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 12:45amI agree .. he will have people coming out of the woodwork .. bless him .. he is going to need it.
Report Post »asybot12
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 4:52amHey Cat he is a Marine he has a great if not he best support group on the planet around him and he also sounds like he has a great head on his shoulders. I wish him well with his marrow donation and all goes well ( I hope his superior officers guide him well!).
Report Post »DEFCON4
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 2:38amforgive him father for he knows not what he speaks
Report Post »mccracken
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 7:33amHow about good luck.
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