New Record For $5 Wheel of Fortune Jackpot

A Chicago area woman won $4 million on a $5 Wheel of Fortune® machine at New York-New York on the Las Vegas Strip early Thursday morning, setting a world record for the MegaJackpots(TM) game.

Kathleen Budz and her husband, Don, of Chicago Ridge, Ill., were playing neighboring machines when her machine hit the progressive jackpot, the largest ever Wheel of Fortune® $5 jackpot.

Budz said that she had dreamed she was going to win a million dollars during her Las Vegas vacation but, when the jackpot hit, she didn't realize how much she had won until her husband told her. The couple arrived in Las Vegas on Sunday. They said they visit the city about once a year.

An administrative assistant at a construction supply company, Budz said she wasn't sure how she would spend her windfall. Her only firm plan, she said, was to make a donation to fight leukemia because her brother died of the disease.

Wheel of Fortune® is based on the world's most popular game show and is one of 16 Nevada MegaJackpots(TM) systems operated by IGT. All IGT MegaJackpots(TM) are paid in annual installments upon verification, except Elvis®, The Addams Family(TM), Party Time(TM) and Jeopardy!® Video, which are paid in their entirety upon verification.

"Elvis" is a registered trademark of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. The Addams Family(TM) was developed under agreement with Monaco Entertainment Corp. "Jeopardy!" is a registered trademark of Jeopardy Productions, Inc.