Kelly Anderson Wright

President Obama has it all wrong. He should encourage people to vacation in Nevada, where twelve measly bucks can become more than $10 million of taxable income in mere minutes.

Just ask Denver bowler John W. Johnson, 36, who flew into Reno Sunday with his wife and teammates for the U.S. Bowling Congress championship. He walked off his Southwest flight, entered the Reno-Tahoe International Airport lobby, and fed a nearby slot machine a $20 bill.

Winners.

“I said to my wife, ‘Where’s the attendant, because I’m going to win something big,’ ” Johnson said.

Just $12 into his twenty, John hit the $10.4 million Megabucks jackpot, a progressive slot system that pays out $10M – $40M to lucky players in 160 casinos across Nevada.

Even before hitting the jackpot, Johnson was a big fan of Reno, northern Nevada’s “Biggest Little City.” A design engineer from Denver, Johnson bowls in a men’s league with his co-workers, the “Kamikaze Keglers,” who travel to Reno to play in USBC tournaments.

Johnson and his wife, Stephanie, got married in Reno three years ago, during a bowling tournament. Their wedding anniversary is this week, and John’s $10 million winnings will certainly make this anniversary memorable. “Hopefully, this lucky streak will carry on, and we’ll win big in the bowling tournament,” he added.

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Johnson is just one of hundreds of “normal folks” who have tried their luck and become millionaires in Nevada. Last year, 38-year-old Reno resident Rachel Romanick, the mother of 4 daughters, won $33M, the second largest slot jackpot in history.  Elmer Sherwin, a 92-year-old Army veteran, won a $21M jackpot, his second MegaBucks win. Christina McCarter, a 41-year-old mother of four, won $1.4M while waiting for a flight in Reno.

Nevada’s gaming industry turns average people like Johnson, Romanick, Sherwin and McCarter into instant millionaires, who typically have to pay up to half of their winnings to federal and state governments in the form of taxes. According to the Reno-based creator, International Game Technology (IGT), the MegaJackpots series of progressive slot machines has produced hundreds of millionaires and awarded more than $5 billion in major jackpots since 1986.

Obama might want to reconsider his anti-Silver State stance, since Reno’s gaming machine manufacturer actually creates high-tax-paying millionaires out of average folks, like this week’s winner, Denver bowler John Johnson, even in a down economy.

Instead of “hope and change,” perhaps the President should consider a new slogan, “Want real change? Try your luck in Nevada.” It’s already a proven winner at generating billions in tax revenues, Mr. President.

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