James Hutchins has been thinking for some time about retiring from his job as a federal customs supervisor in Washington state.
His decision became a little bit easier when he hit a $5.9 million jackpot Tuesday night at a Reno casino.
"I guess I don't have any excuses left," said Hutchins, 60, Bellingham, Wash.
Hutchins said he and his wife stopped in Reno while on a trip to visit their daughter in California. They made it over the mountains to Reno Tuesday despite a storm that dumped a foot of snow on the upper reaches of the Sierra Nevada.
"We almost didn't come because of the weather, but it was worth it," he said.
An employee of U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Bellingham under the Department of Homeland Security, Hutchins says he put in about $20 before he hit the MegaJackpot on a Wheel of Fortune slot machine at Fitzgerald's casino in downtown Reno.
"I never pay any attention to the progressive jackpot amount," Hutchins said.
"But I had just looked up and thought `so that's how much someone would win.' And then, it was me," he said. He said he's making making vacation plans and intends to spend some of the winnings on his children and grandchildren.
Wheel of Fortune Megajackpot is a progressive slot machine manufactured by Reno-based International Game Technology.
