Betway have been confirmed as a world record holder by the prestigious Guinness World Records organisation following a rigorous approval process.

We can now claim to have officially awarded the "largest jackpot payout in an online slot machine game" ever.

The €17,879,645.12 (£13,213,838.68) jackpot was paid out in October to Cheshire soldier Jon Heywood via Microgaming’s Mega Moolah online slot on betway.com.

It beat the previous record - set in Finland in 2013 - by almost €18,000.

Software provider Microgaming and us submitted exhaustive evidence to Guinness World Records, including ratification from online gaming authority eCOGRA, to prove the legitimacy of the jackpot.

They will share the record with Heywood.

The win turned the 26-year-old squaddie into an overnight mega-millionaire after he deposited £30 and placed just 25p bets.

The winning spin, meanwhile, came after only seven minutes.

"Guinness World Records is the most respected adjudicator of world records on the planet and this proves beyond doubt that Betway hands out the biggest jackpots to their players," said Betway's Alan Alger.

"Having the record is a great honour. However, the main point is that we keep changing the lives of players just like Jon, who won this huge jackpot in minutes and from just a 25p spin."

A Guinness World Records spokesperson, said: "I’m pleased to confirm that the Guinness World Records title for the largest jackpot payout in an online slot machine game is €17,879,645.12, which was won by Jonathan Heywood, while playing Microgaming’s Mega Moolah on Betway's website.

"And Jon is certainly in the moolah now, thanks to his exceptional stroke of luck."

READ: British soldier wins world record jackpot - and vows to spend it on family first