Man wins more than a million dollars at Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - Shooting Star Casino is celebrating a huge jackpot win by Cornell Mclean Sr. on Monday, December 26, during the casino’s Boxing Day promotion for Canadian guests. Mclean, his wife Lisa and their daughter and son-in-law were traveling from Winnipeg through Mahnomen on a quiet getaway after a hectic Christmas season. After sitting at the border for over an hour there were thoughts of just turning back, but Mclean felt the getaway was much needed. Looking back, he’s glad they didn’t turn around.

Mclean sat down in front of a Dancing Drums Explosion slot machine and on the second push of the spin button, saw drums explode and realized he had just won a jackpot. At first, he believed the jackpot was about $13,000. However, he was quickly alerted to the fact that his jackpot was a bit higher than that – more than $1.37 million!

When asked about his plans for the money, McLean said he gave it to his wife. The pair have been saving to buy a home. “We’ll be able to buy a new house now,” shares Mclean. “I also plan to share with my three siblings.” In addition, he says they have a big family with five children and 16 grandchildren, two of whom he and his wife are legal guardians of. So, the money will be used for them as well.

You won’t see much of a change in how the Mcleans live their lives after the win. Mclean said, “We’ll keep doing what we’ve been doing, this won’t change how we live.” Others have pointed out that he has been blessed because of the way he lives his life giving back to others.

This is one of the largest jackpots won at Shooting Star Casino in recent years. A $100,000 jackpot was won in 2022. On any given day, Shooting Star Casinos in Mahnomen and Bagley average about 75 jackpots of $1,200 or more.