“Is This Real?”: Nanaimo Resident Wins Nearly $350,000 Playing on Her Phone

Holly B. wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary when she was relaxing with her phone one night. The Nanaimo resident was playing a few rounds of 25 Red Hot Clover on PlayNow, the same thing she’d done plenty of times before. Then a whole lot of numbers flashed on the screen; $349,875.78 to be exact. Holly was initially confused, as she’d never seen a number that big playing the game before. This is a lot of numbers, she thought, but what do they mean? Had she messed up somehow? Was this a glitch?

Her eyes were racing back and forth on the screen, reading and rereading the number. It took a long moment to process the obvious fact – she had won that amount, almost $350,000. After that? Nothing. Holly’s mind went completely blank.

"No thoughts," she said. "Just in shock."

A few brief moments of shock passed, as Holly sat there staring at her phone blankly. Suddenly her mind kicked back in and a rush of adrenaline flowed through her. “I thought, is this real? Why me?" She ran excitedly to find her husband, who was already asleep. She shook him awake him with the news, but he thought he was dreaming. Then Holly quickly dialed her mom who didn’t immediately believe her either. It crossed Holly’s mind that perhaps it wasn’t real, and she was just asleep and dreaming.

“I ran to tell my husband. He was asleep and thought he was dreaming.”

It wasn’t until the next morning, when everyone was awake, alert, and looking at the same number on the same screen, that the win finally sank in. The disbelief from the night before melted away, and in its place was pure joy. She smiled at her husband and told him that this was absolutely not a dream. They laughed together as they took in their new reality.

Holly got a chance to celebrate the win soon after, when the family went out to dinner for her sister’s birthday. They talked about the win all evening; a reason to raise a glass and share the joy with the whole table.

When asked what the win means to her, Holly didn’t hesitate: “It’s life changing.” It opens the door to supporting her daughter, and to buying a piece of property in the country, a dream she’s had in heart for a long while. And, with a spacious and quiet property, she’s thinking of adopting a rescue dog.

As for PlayNow, Holly says it’s the only way she plays, as she’s only ever been to a casino once in her life. 25 Red Hot Clover Link is a game she genuinely loves, though she admits she might take a short break after this one. It’s hard to top nearly $350,000.

From a quiet night on her phone to a huge surprise, Holly’s story is a reminder that wild moments don’t just happen in dreams. So, the next time someone close to you tells you they won a whole lot of money, make sure you pinch yourself, because it may just be real.

Discover 25 Red Hot Clover and more games on PlayNow.