106-year-old woman hits the $1,000 JACKPOT while celebrating her birthday in her favorite local casino
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A centenarian hit the jackpot while celebrating her 106th birthday at her favorite local casino - with the business in turn doubling her $1,000 winnings in honor of the occasion.
Serafina 'Sarah' Papia Petersonk, a lifelong Milwaukee resident who currently lives in a retirement community in the surrounding suburbs, made her annual visit to the city's Potawatomi Casino for her birthday on August 23.
It was while playing the slot machine that Sarah had her lucky break.
'All of a sudden, we see "jackpot," and we looked down and she had pressed 400 by accident instead of the 50, and the jackpot was over $1,000,' Sarah's niece, Marge Larson, told local CBS affiliate WDJT.
Serafina 'Sarah' Papia Petersonk, 106, won big at Milwaukee's Potawatomi Casino during her annual birthday visit to the establishment on August 23
It was while playing the slot machine that Sarah had her lucky break, winning a $1,000 jackpot
Casino employees presented Sarah with a cake in the aftermath of her win - as well as extra cash to double her winnings
A casino employee counted out the extra grand and put the bills one by one in Sarah's hands
'I'm happy to win this money - I don't know what I'm going to do with it, but I'm gonna make a good choice,' Sarah further explained to ABC's WISN.
'I was so happy about you coming over here and then seeing you winning that jackpot - and what I wanted to do was bring you your own birthday cake from Potawatomi,' casino CEO Dominic Ortiz can be seen telling Sarah in a clip as another employee appears at her side, cake in hand.
'And not only that, that $1,000 jackpot? I want to double that jackpot!' he continues, to which Sarah responds with an excited 'Oh!'
Moments later, a third employee begins counting out a stack of $100 bills and placing them one by one in her hand.
'We've welcomed Sarah every year for her birthday and are grateful that she and her family celebrate with us,' Ortiz told WISN.
'We were all elated when we heard about her big win and wanted to make her 106th birthday even more special,' he added.
Of her secret to longevity, Sarah told WISN: 'I lived a good life … I didn't drink, I didn't smoke, I didn't go to the tavern. I just lived a good life. I took good care of myself.'
She further elaborated to WDJT that her love of singing and cooking has kept her going.
Sarah emphasized her desire to keep living for her dog, who, she added, isn't just a dog to her: 'He's a person. He takes good care of me,' she said
Though, she added to the outlet with extra emphasis, 'I want to live for my dog. He’s not a dog - he's a person. He takes good care of me.'
As do her caregivers and family, about whom she continued, 'That's what means a lot. That they love me. Everybody loves me and I love them too.'
Sarah was born to Sicilian immigrants in the Milwaukee area and spent her whole life in the Wisconsin metropolis.
She's not the only centenarian to share her tips for a long life.
Back in 2019, then-104-year-old Virginia Leitner
