A slots player at Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau, Que. won $1.15 million on Wheel of Fortune Cash Link Big Money, pushing IGT's Powerbucks network past the $100 million mark in Canadian payouts. (Image: Suzanne Andrews, Alamy)
A lucky slot player at Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau, Quebec walked away with $1,156,696.51, after scooping a huge win on one of Canada’s most popular jackpot networks.
The unnamed gambler hit the lucky spin on April 24, 2026 on a Wheel of Fortune Cash Link Big Money machine, which is part of IGT’s Powerbucks network.
The massive payout means that the Powerbucks network has now paid out over $100 million to players based in Canada since IGT launched the jackpot system back in 2016.
IGT’s Powerbucks is what's known as a linked progressive jackpot, meaning that it can be played for, and won, across multiple games in both online and land-based casinos in Canada.
So online gamblers playing at home on a mobile app and those pulling up a stool on the casino floor are competing for the same prize money.
Any bet level can trigger the top prize, which resets to $1 million every time it's won.
IGT says Powerbucks was the first jackpot system in the world to connect land-based and online slots to a single shared prize pool, and it remains the only supplier currently offering this kind of linked jackpot across land-based casinos and mobile and online platforms.
Other game titles on the Powerbucks network include Wheel of Fortune Exotic Far East, Wheel of Fortune Ruby Riches, Wolf Run, Whitney Houston Powerbucks and Cleopatra.
Loto-Quebec, which operates Casino du Lac-Leamy, has offered Powerbucks games for close to 10 years. The latest win also comes as IGT continues to mark the 30th anniversary of the Wheel of Fortune slot series, with promotions for the brand still active.
IGT recently appointed Mark Wadley as Incoming President of Land-Based Gaming, pending regulatory approvals. Prior to joining IGT, Wadley served as Chief Marketing Officer at Aristocrat, one of IGT's global competitors.
One of four licensed casinos in Quebec, all operated by Loto-Quebec, Casino du Lac-Leamy is located just seven kilometres from downtown Ottawa in neighbouring Ontario and features around 1,700 slot machines, as well as 40 table games including blackjack, baccarat, roulette and poker.
It also has sports betting terminals and a 1,100-seat concert hall.
It is not the first time the casino has made headlines for a life-changing payout.
In April 2025, Casino du Lac-Leamy was the site of the second-largest bad beat jackpot in history, when 46 players across five tables at a $1/$3 no-limit hold'em game split $2.5 million as one player lost a hand holding four 10s, beaten by a straight flush.
Shane Donnelly is an experienced journalist, writer, and editor who has been working in the online gambling ecosystem for seven years, and the media industry in general for well over a decade. Specializing in the Canadian market, Shane keeps a keen eye on industry trends, market movements, and innovations in gaming tech, always with player welfare at the forefront of his mind. When not staying on top of the latest iGaming developments, he can be found playing water polo with his local team, where he struggles to stay afloat.
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