From Press staff reports | Posted: Wednesday, September 8, 2010

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ATLANTIC CITY — Maybe seven is a lucky number after all.

A New York grandmother won $1.1 million playing a Wheel of Fortune progressive slot machine Friday night at the Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort. Paula Junta’s jackpot came on her seventh spin.

“I had been playing for about five minutes and on my seventh spin, I hit the jackpot,” Junta, of Westchester, N.Y., said in a Hilton press release Wednesday announcing the prize. “The thing was, I thought I had put in three coins and just won $1,000. The guy next to me looked over and told me I had won the progressive total.”

Junta said her slot winnings will benefit her grandchildren.

Progressive slot machines are linked electronically in casinos throughout Atlantic City to create mega-jackpots that grow each time a bet is placed.

“We never know where or when one of these progressive jackpots is going to hit,” said Michael Frawley, the Hilton’s chief operating officer. “We’re thrilled for Paula and very excited that it happened on our property.”