You may have noticed that most online casinos distinguish between classic and jackpot slots; but since all slots have a jackpot, what's the difference?
The answer is a progressive jackpot which can reach staggering numbers. A progressive jackpot is a jackpot (maximum profit) that increases every time someone plays a game. In a nutshell, it will continue to rise until some lucky player wins it. For example some of the jackpots at Bwin casino are more than 1 milion pounds.
How do progressive jackpots work?
Progressive jackpot slots usually take part of every bet and add it to the jackpot. This amount is sometimes called a meter and is usually taken from several slots at a time. So if several people play the Millionaire Genie at the same time, they will all contribute and play the same jackpot.
Sometimes jackpots are linked through multiple titles. For example, all Marvel slots are connected, meaning that players of both The Avengers and Iron Man 3 will contribute and compete for the same progressive jackpots. This makes the amounts higher and the chances of winning a little lower.
Winning mechanisms
The award process in progressive jackpots varies but may include:
- Random prizes - they can appear after each spin, no matter what the result is.
- Combining certain symbols - Similar to a regular jackpot, these progressive winnings are awarded when you hit a predetermined number / line of characters. For example, in Geisha Wonders, when a player arranges star symbols in a line or in progressive video poker, when a player receives Royal Flush
- Bonus games - these games pay when a player wins the bonus feature; for example, if a player reaches the middle of the wheel in a Mega Fortune Bonus Game.
In addition to having to keep in mind the winning mechanisms, jackpot chasers also have to consider the basic launch criteria, for example:
- Minimum Qualifying Bets - Players must bet over a certain amount to have a chance of a progressive jackpot
- Play meters - they give more chances for a win to the regular players; so always check the rules before playing.
How big can progressive jackpots be?
The largest progressive jackpot was won by an anonymous player on a mobile Android device who bet less than a dollar on Mega Moolah and 50 spins later hit the jackpot of $ 21,977,013.92 in September 2018. Mega Moolah was also responsible for previous record profits , won by soldier John Haywood of the United Kingdom, who in October 2015 turned 25p into £ 13.2 million ($ 17.4 million), perpetuating the progressive jackpot game as Guinness World Record for "Biggest Online Jackpot Payout" on slot machine ".
Previously, the record-breaking payout was owned by an anonymous Finnish who won an astonishing € 17.4 million (nearly $ 23 million) on Mega Fortune.
Finding progressive jackpots
Most online casinos organize their slots by type, for example, in Betfair casino, there is a separate Jackpot Slots section where you will find all slots with progressive jackpots. Many also display the progressive jackpot meter on the home screen of the slots section to advertise the big winnings. So if you see a growing cash meter, you know that it has a progressive jackpot.
Chances of winning a progressive jackpot
The odds of winning the Megabucks gaming machine jackpot in Vegas were rated 1 at 49,836,032. As the mechanism in the individual slots varies, it is impossible to give a simple answer that covers each individual slot. For any indication of your chances with a particular slot, check the Return to Player rate and look for previous winners to get an idea of how often progressive jackpots are won.
