Area players collect big wins at Thunder Valley

Source: Jackpot

LINCOLN -- After just 20 minutes and $6 of play, a Fresno-area woman won $472,305 on a fifty-cent Wheel of Fortune machine at Thunder Valley Casino on Aug. 20.

Maxine Reynosa of Kerman had come to Thunder Valley to redeem the free slot play she earned with her Thunder Valley Player's Card.

Reynosa, who is retired from a cleaning company, says she plans to use her winnings to pay off some bills.

A Lincoln woman who works as a teacher's aide won $181,530 at the casino on Aug. 13 when she hit the Thunder Strike Jackpot, which was valued at $131,530. She received an additional $50,000 bonus because she was playing a $1 machine at the time.

Two days later, Vincent from West Sacramento won a $58,230 Thunder Strike Jackpot. He said he will put his winnings toward the purchase of a house.

The Thunder Strike Jackpot gives slot machine players a chance to win a bonus jackpot of up to $150,000 if they use their Thunder Valley players card. The jackpot can hit at any machine, any time, and it's guaranteed to hit by the time the jackpot reaches $150,000. The prize be paid immediately, in cash, even if the player doesn't have a winning combination on the machine. After a Thunder Strike Jackpot is won, the meter is then reset to $50,000.

The casino will increase the jackpot by up to $100,000 in certain circumstances. If the player is on a $1 or higher machine, the jackpot will go up by $50,000, and if the jackpot is hit between midnight and 8 a.m., another $50,000 bonus will added to the prize.