More than a Wooden Nickel
By Gayle Mitchell

Channaine Martin, 32 lined up a jackpot for $1,292,397. on a nickel machine at Atlantic City’s Caesars Casino. A resident of Forked River, NJ, she had played only $40 at a Jeopardy! slot before the five symbols appeared. IGT’s Jeopardy! is part of a system that links slot machines in AC casinos. These jackpots start at $500,000 and grow from there.
An extra bonus for this winner is the payout on-the-spot.
“I just started screaming Oh My God! Oh my God! said Martin, a magazine editor by trade.

I screamed so much I lost my voice.”  She admits that en route to Atlantic City, she was overcome by a lucky feeling. “We had to pull over on the parkway when we got stuck in a thunder storm and I got this weird feeling, but I knew that it was a good omen”. I said to my sister, “I don’t know why, but this is a good omen and we’re going to win” Martin’s idea of a ‘big win’, however, was in the $200 to $400 range.

As for how this new millionaire plans to spend her fortune, Martin says, she will pay off her mortgage and credit cards, and purchase a new car. She will also include a donation to Gilda’s Club, a nationwide network of facilities that assist cancer patients and their families plus a heartfelt ‘thank you’ for her sister.