Adedokun Waliyu 
While the 50-year-old is “super happy about winning,” he wishes his girlfriend was beside him to share in the joy.
Marcelo Loyola, 50, wins $3.2 million at Casino Woodbine playing his girlfriend’s favourite slot machine two weeks after she passed away on April 5, 2023.
Two weeks after his girlfriend passed away suddenly on April 5, he went to Casino Woodbine where he won a $3.2 million progressive jackpot.
The casino was a favorite spot for Loyola and his girlfriend.
“She always went upstairs to play the slots, and I would go downstairs to play the tables,” he said. “We were always there together, and the past couple of weeks have been really hard,”
“That day I just felt her spirit in me, so I went upstairs to play the slots, even though as a table games player I never do that,” Loyola, 50, recalled.
The Toronto-based solutions contractor said they would see the jackpot building, but his girlfriend never thought she would win it.
Loyola said she liked to play the game, however, she had her own way of playing the machine.
“Rather than waiting for the wheels to stop naturally, she would press the button to stop the machine mid-spin in an attempt for the three ‘Jackpot’ icons to line up,” he explained.
And that is how he won.
“I would always say to her, don’t play it like that, just let it spin,” Loyola said. “But I felt her with me that night, so I played it like she did.”
“I stopped it and it hit! I saw ‘Jackpot, Jackpot, Jackpot’ and I started screaming that I won the jackpot and running around and going crazy.”
The machine flashed and signaled the big win, drawing a crowd.
“We’re thrilled for Marcelo and excited to see him take home such a huge payout, especially after such an emotional time,” said Robert Katsavelos, general manager at Casino Woodbine. “This is an amazing story in so many ways, and we’re glad Marcelo has chosen to share it with us.”
While Loyola admits he’s “super happy about winning,” he wishes his girlfriend was beside him to share it.
“She would have been overjoyed. She loved the casino and she loved to win,” he said.
