This month, a guest at Toronto's Casino Woodbine won a heartbreaking $3.2 million jackpot on the machine his recently deceased girlfriend loved to play.
The gaming venture from Great Canadian Entertainment was unveiled on Friday. A few days ago, Marcelo Loyola made a stop at the casino. The Toronto contractor entered the complex and was hit by a wave of nostalgia.

He frequently went to the casino with his girlfriend. He would go to the table games downstairs, and she would go to the slots. But on April 5, only three days after Loyola turned 50, she passed away tragically.

"That day, I just felt her spirit in me, so I went upstairs to play the slots, even though as a table games player I never do that,” Loyola recalled in a casino statement.

He initially tried his luck on various machines. Then he noticed her preferred slot.

Loyola moved toward it. He recalled that she didn't wait for the wheels to stop when she played that machine. During the spin, she would press a button in the hopes of winning the jackpot.

"I would always say to her, don’t play it like that, just let it spin,” he remembered. “But I felt her with me that night, so I played it like she did.”

The three "Jackpot" icons appeared out of nowhere. The slot started flashing.

 He'd just won $3.2 million.

Loyola reportedly exclaimed, "I started screaming that I won the jackpot and running around and going crazy.

Players from other tables and casino staff approached him. He and his late girlfriend were well known to them.

They expressed their sorrow for me while also expressing their congratulations, he said.
Robert Katsavelos, general manager of the casino, expressed his excitement in a statement following the win: "We're thrilled for Marcelo and excited to see him take home such a huge payout, especially after such an emotional time."
He is "super happy about winning," according to Loyola.

But he wishes his true love had been present to share in the jackpot joy. But on the day he won, he sensed her presence.

"I am positive that she was present with me. It cannot be a coincidence, said Loyola.

His family is the top priority in his life. He stated that he would buy his parents a new home in addition to investing some of his sizable winnings. He'll also pay a visit to his British Columbia-based brother.

Loyola stated, "I want to look after the people I love. "Me and my girlfriend looked after each other. I was so in love with her. She would be overjoyed.