Lake Elsinore Casino | 1,400+ Slots, Table Games & Dining

I was just killing time on a Tuesday afternoon, honestly. My daughter had the day off school and my wife was at work, so I figured I'd run by the casino for an hour while my mom watched her. I sat down at this machine I'd played before, nothing special, just spinning for fun. Then the sceren went crazy—bells, lights everywhere. I just stared at it for like thirty seconds before it registered. My hands were shaking so bad I could barely hit the cash out button. I'm paying off my truck early and taking my family to Hawaii next summer, something we've talked about for years.

I was having the worst week at work—got passed over for a promotion that should've been mine. My buddy called and said he was heading to Lake Elsinore to blow off steam, asked if I wanted to come. We got there around 8 PM and I just needed to sit down and think about something other than my job. Started playing blackjack with twenty bucks, running hot from hand one. Before I knew it, I was up almost ninety grand. The dealer kept saying congratulations, the pit boss came over. When I cashed out, I actually got emotional in my car. I'm using half to put toward my kids' college and taking my wife on the trip we've been postponing.

I've been playing poker seriously for about six years, traveled to tournaments across the country. The Lake Elsinore tournament in November had a field of 287 players—bigger than usual for this venue. I was nervous going in but my cards were good and I stayed disciplined. Made it to heads-up against this older gentleman who played really solid poker. We battled for about three hours and I hit my flush on the river to win it. My girlfriend was sitting behind me and literally screamed. I'm moving into a better place with her next month and putting the rest away for my future, maybe even going pro full-time.

My husband passed away two years ago and I finally felt ready to do something for myself again. My friend invited me to the casino and I was nervous about it, not really a gambling person. We were just messing around, betting small amounts on roulette. I put five bucks on red seventeen—our anniversary date—kind of as a joke, you know, hoping he was looking down. The ball dropped on red seventeen. I couldn't beleive it. I sat there crying happy tears while my friend hugged me. I'm using this to finally renovate the kitchen we always talked about doing together.

I work construction and my back's been acting up, been dealing with pain for months. Was taking a mental health day because I needed a break from the physical work and stress. Figured I'd spend a couple hours at the casino, maybe relax a bit. Got lucky on Buffalo Gold—hit a decent bonus round that turned into another bonus, kept building. When the screen finally stopped spinning, I couldn't process the number for a minute. Called my boss right there and told him I'm taking two weeks off to rest properly. Part of the money's going to physical therapy and part toward finally getting that fishing boat I've wanted.

I'm a bartender and we had a slow night at work, so I got off early around midnight. Some regulars were heading to Lake Elsinore and asked if I wanted to tag along. I don't usually gamble much but figured why not, I had some extra cash from tips that week. Played Three Card Poker for maybe an hour, caught some good hands in a row, and suddenly I'm up thirty-eight thousand. I was shocked because I honestly wasn't paying that close attention—just having fun with my coworkers. I'm paying down my student loans and using the rest to finally fix up my apartment the way I've wanted.