In 2012, a British Army soldier had his life changed in seconds after winning a record £13.2 million at Betway Casino.

The game was Microgaming's Mega Moolah, and Heywood had only signed up to the casino some 25 minutes before playing.

As of September 4, 2018, Jon's Guinness World Record-smashing win is the world's biggest ever online slot machine win. But it's soon to be smashed.

The jackpot stands at over £14.6m... £14.7m... £14.8m...

Whoever triggers the game's 'Mega' progressive jackpot will have Guinness's admin guys scurrying for their Tippex.

So, how does Mega Moolah stand out between online casino games? And how can you win a record-breaking sum of cash yourself? Let's take a closer look at a Microgaming phenomenon.

A brief history of Mega Moolah

You will find Mega Moolah slots at Betway Casino, proudly sitting alongside other great Microgaming titles like Major Millions and King Cashalot. But there is a special place in slots players' hearts for the original Mega Moolah game.

The game is now over 12 years old but it continues to pay out millions in prizes. In 2018 alone, Mega Moolah has awarded over $30m to its players.

So, what's the big draw? A fun, five-reel slot with a free spins bonus, wild symbols, and four tiered progressive jackpots. In addition, the progressive jackpots are paid out in one lump sum if won.

Mega Moolah's simplicity is key to its success. The game is played on five reels and features six African animals to line up on the 25 paylines.

The lion is the top paying symbol, awarding 15,000 coins if you hit five of a kind. It also acts wild, substituting for all other regular symbols. Three or more monkey scatters will trigger a free spins bonus for players.

Win one of four progressive jackpots

Some online progressive slots have jackpots that trigger by when lining up special symbols on a selected payline. Mega Moolah works a little differently: the Mega Moolah Jackpot game is triggered entirely at random after any spin.

The player is transported to a wheel of fortune game. Simply spin the wheel and line up the arrows in order to win the corresponding jackpot.

Most of the wins in Mega Moolah come in the smaller three jackpots: Mini, Minor, and Major. However, the Mega jackpot - which seeds at £1m - is the one that creates headlines. The jackpots are linked across multiple casinos: the more that goes in, the higher the jackpot.

The jackpots are also linked across all sister slots of Mega Moolah. The pooled jackpots are shared by other Microgaming slots like The Dark Knight, Mega Moolah Isis, and Major Millions.

Mega Moolah's biggest winners

Since Mega Moolah was launched, the game and its sister variants have crowned over a dozen mega jackpot millionaires across the world. Here are some of the biggest winners:

Year won: 2018/2019?
Amount: £14.6m+
Winner: Unknown

Jon Heywood's world record has already been surpassed by over £1.1m. How far could it go before someone wins it?

Year won: 2015
Amount: £13.2m
Winner: Jon Heywood

The British soldier's Betway account was barely an hour old when he made his first deposit and won the Mega Moolah Mega jackpot for a small stake of just 25p.

Year won: 2016
Amount: CAD11.6m
Winner: Marcus G

Canadian Mega Moolah players have enjoyed plenty of success themselves. The biggest came in 2016 when Marcus G. took down a prize worth £6.8m.

Year won: 2016
Amount: NZD10.1m
Winner: Rawiri Pou

New Zealand's biggest ever Mega Moolah jackpot winner was a fast food worker who found himself swapping burgers for sports cars back in 2016.

Year won: 2008
Amount: $5.5m
Winner: Klaus E

Mega Moolah was only a couple of years old before the game started triggering enormous jackpots. Finnish slot player, Klaus E, was Mega Moolah's first millionaire in 2008. He turned a 50c bet into a prize worth just over $5.5m.

Try Mega Moolah today

Mega Moolah might not be the most attractive or sophisticated online slot, but it has a reputation for frequent jackpot wins and will soon become the first slot to break two consecutive world records. Who would have thought that back in 2006?

Watch the video below to see how Jon Heywood's life has changed since his Mega Moolah win.