NEWCASTLE, Okla. – The Newcastle Gaming Center awarded an incredible $1.8 million Wheel of Fortune Special Edition MegaJackpot Dec. 14.

The winner, who asked to remain anonymous, said she is a regular visitor to the casino and had invested around $100 when the jackpot hit. The new millionaire went on to say she knew what was coming. “[I’ve] won several jackpots before,” she commented, adding her first thought when the jackpot hit was, “Get me a casino person – I think I’ve won big!” When asked about her immediate plans, the winner said she will put her winnings toward retirement.

This is the second jackpot to be paid at the Newcastle Gaming Center. In January 2007, the casino awarded a $258,816 Wheel of Fortune quarters MegaJackpot. The Newcastle Gaming Center is one of 17 gaming facilities operated in Oklahoma by the Chickasaw Nation. For more information, visit the Web site.

The Newcastle Gaming Center belongs to IGT’s Native American wide area progressive gaming network. The network includes more than 300 tribal casinos in 17 states nationwide. Each time a coin is played in a linked machine, anywhere in the network, the jackpot accumulates until some lucky winner hits the top jackpot award. Since going on line in September of 2006, Oklahoma casinos have now awarded 63 MegaJackpots totaling nearly $34 million. This most recent hit at the Newcastle Gaming Center is the ninth prize over $1 million to be paid.

The Wheel of Fortune Special Edition progressive is one of the most popular systems in Native America, and features an exciting bonus spin that has come to be one of the favorite facets of the game for players and fans. The game has a starting jackpot of $500,000. In order to win the MegaJackpot, five Wheel of Fortune symbols must line up on the machine’s first payline with a maximum bet wagered. Wheel of Fortune was developed by IGT, a global company specializing in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and sales of computerized gaming machines and systems products. All IGT MegaJackpot top awards are paid in annual installments upon verification, except MegaJackpots Instant Winners Jackpots awards, which are paid in their entirety upon verification.