If you’re someone who plays regularly at an online casino, you would have noticed how they separate the classic online slots from the jackpot ones. However, since all online slots feature some jackpot, where, in your opinion, is the difference?
Progressive jackpot slots are what differentiate the regular online slots from the types that can deliver life-changing sums. A progressive jackpot is simply a jackpot amount that keeps increasing each time someone plays that slot game, till the time a lucky player hits the jackpot.
How do progressive jackpot slots work?
In the world of progressive jackpot slot games, a small percentage of every wager is taken out each time someone plays that slot game, in any online casino across the world. This amount is continuously added to the total jackpot, and is also referred to as “meter”. Therefore, if multiple people are simultaneously playing a specific jackpot slot game in different states/countries, they will all contribute to the same jackpot.
In some cases, the jackpot is also linked through multiple titles or different versions of the same slot game, resultantly making the jackpot amount even bigger.
How is money won?
The progressive jackpots can be won in different ways, including:
- Random awards, which can occur after any spin, regardless of the outcome.
- The landing of specific symbol combinations. You can win a progressive jackpot just like a normal jackpot by landing a specific predefined order or number of symbols. For instance, in a game like Geisha Wonders, you can possibly get a line of star symbols, or, when playing progressive video poker, there’s a chance of landing a royal flush.
- Bonus games wherein you can win progressive jackpot through a bonus feature. For instance, you’d be in with a chance to win the jackpot if you reach the middle section of the wheel while playing Mega Fortune bonus game.
In addition to the knowledge on how to win money in progressive jackpot slots, you should also know the basic criteria to hit the jackpot. For instance:
- Players are usually required to wager a minimum amount of money to have a chance to win the progressive jackpot.
- As for play meters, regular players have a higher possibility of winning progressive jackpots.
How big can these progressive jackpots possibly be?
The biggest amount won through a progressive jackpot slot was €18.9 million in September 2018. An anonymous Android mobile player won it with a bet of just $0.75 on Mega Moolah. The same game was also responsible for the previous biggest record registered by a UK-based soldier known as Jon Heywood, in October 2015. He won a total of €17.9 million with a 25p bet, thus gaining entry into the Guinness Book of World Records.
Different kinds of jackpot slots
Progressive jackpot slots can be divided into 3 categories:
- Standalone slot games. These online slots are not linked to any other slot game and have a fixed jackpot prize.
- In-house slot games. These slot games are within the same online casino, linked to each other through a big jackpot prize.
- Wide area slot games. These are progressive jackpot slots, which are linked to each other across multiple casinos. The jackpot sum is normally huge, but the winning odds are equally small.
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