It was supposed to be a quick weekend trip for Cheyenne businessman Marc Thayer. And it was.
It just turned out to be a profitable one as well.
Thayer, owner of a home and business security system company in Cheyenne, flew to Las Vegas with three friends Friday and came back Monday $1.25 million richer.
Thayer hit the jackpot Sunday afternoon at a slot machine his friend Bryan “Alf” Grzegorczyk, a Cheyenne bar owner, usually plays at the Circa hotel in downtown Las Vegas.
And it didn’t take him much work. Thayer told Cowboy State Daily he had just sat down at the machine and told his friend that it would be great to win the grand prize.
“On my fourth pull, I hit it,” Thayer said. “It was a ‘holy shit’ moment.”
Thayer said he knew he won some money because of the graphics the machine was displaying, not to mention the celebratory sounds and flashing beacon.
“I thought I won a decent prize,” he said. “But then I realized I just hit the jackpot.”
Calm And Collected
Grzegorczyk, who said he plays the Buffalo Diamond slot machine at the Circa Hotel often, was sitting next to Thayer when his buddy hit the jackpot.
Thayer’s reaction? Calm.
“He looks at me and goes, ‘I just hit the jackpot,” Grzegorczyk said. “And I’m like, ‘Yes, you did.’ It was pretty incredible.”
“I was dazed,” Thayer said.
Then came the waiting. Thayer said because of the amount he won, the gaming company had to come to the casino to verify the machine had not been tampered with and get everything in order.
It was about a four-hour wait, Grzegorczyk said. So Grzegorczyk, Thayer, and Mike and Kerry Casner, who own The Garbage Guys in Cheyenne, parked themselves by the machine and drank cocktails.
But Thayer didn’t pay. Those drinks were all on the house.
Surely, he paid for dinner.
Nope. Because Grzegorczyk is a frequent traveler to Las Vegas, he had plenty of complimentary meals saved up.
“Marc was off the hook there too,” Grzegorczyk said laughing. “It was a good all-around trip for Marc.”
Make It Rain
After the win was verified that evening, Thayer said he was handed a check for $63,000 and told the rest would be sent to him later.
He said it never entered his mind to get a suite or penthouse, or to “make it rain.”
Instead, he went to bed at about 10 p.m. in the same shared room that he and Grzegorczyk got together.
He also said he doesn’t remember much about the after-jackpot dinner.
“That’s kind of a blur,” Thayer said.
More Relatives
Thayer said since hitting the jackpot, his phone has been ringing non-stop because Grzegorczyk posted a number of videos on Facebook announcing the win.
“I actually found out I have about 30 more relatives than I had the day before,” Thayer said.
What To Do With The Money
Thayer said he doesn’t have any plans on what to do with the windfall. He said life for him will continue as always.
“I’m smart with my money,” he said. “I’m just going to continue with my business. I’ll show up early every day and keep plugging along.”
