At Saint-Raphaël, a retiree won the biggest jackpot of the year at the Barrière casino, pocketing over 44,000 euros.
Luck was on their side this Sunday afternoon at the Casino Barrière in Saint-Raphaël. A regular visitor, an octogenarian named Francine, hit the biggest jackpot of the year 2026, turning a mere 88 cents bet into an exceptional win of 44,196 euros. This was a moment of great excitement for this loyal player who now stands as the top winner of the establishment for the current year.
As usual, Francine, a retiree from Saint-Raphaël, was enjoying herself by playing small amounts. She was seated at her favorite slot machine, a modern and popular Asian-themed device with 243 winning combinations. After only a few minutes, while playing a new round for 88 cents, the reels lined up, and the jackpot signal rang throughout the gaming hall. The screen displayed the sum of 44,196 euros, the largest progressive jackpot at the casino at that time.
Surprised and overwhelmed with emotion, the winner took time to realize the magnitude of her win. Although she wanted to remain anonymous, she shared her joy with the casino staff. “It’s extraordinary, I can’t believe it. I’ve never won such an amount. At the moment, I’m really emotional, I don’t know yet what I’m going to do with it,” she expressed. This event perfectly illustrates the intense moments that a gaming establishment can offer.
This 44,196 euros win tops the list of jackpots in 2026 for the Saint-Raphaël casino, surpassing a 23,887 euros win on January 23 and another 21,413 euros win on February 13. However, it does not beat the overall record set in September 2025 with a jackpot of 73,018 euros. According to the management, thrill-seekers can still hope for other significant prize pots as the jackpot on the machine where Francine won has already been reset and reached 40,000 euros.
The casino management is pleased with this event. “The Saint-Raphaël Casino is a place of entertainment and emotions, as demonstrated once again by the very nice jackpot that was won this Sunday. Congratulations to our happy winner, who is highly appreciated by the casino teams for her kindness. We are very happy for her, it’s a very beautiful story, as we have several times a year,” said Herve Couroux, General Manager of the Barrière Casino in Saint-Raphaël.
Located at the foot of the Estérel massif, the casino employs 75 staff members and welcomed over 260,000 visitors last year. It offers a diverse range of games with 150 slot machines, 37 electronic gaming stations, and 5 traditional gaming tables. The establishment is part of the Barrière Group, a leading player in high-end leisure in France, operating 32 casinos, 20 luxury hotels, and nearly 200 restaurants and bars.
