If you’ve ever played in an online casino, you’ve surely come across progressive jackpots. This exciting type of jackpot slot offers prizes beyond your imagination. Unlike fixed jackpots, the prizes they offer grow all the time. The progressive pot grows fueled by each bet placed on these slots. It can grow quite large depending on the slot, and the progressive jackpot may be paid to one lucky player. Under certain circumstances, of course.
What Are Progressive Jackpots?
Progressive jackpot slots are among the most popular slot titles in any online casino as they open the doors to a Hollywood celebrity lifestyle. This type of slot has a progressive jackpot as the main reward in addition to other bonuses and features. Some offer classic gameplay with only the progressive jackpot as the top reward, others have numerous special features that offer even better prizes.
Progressive jackpots are as entertaining as it gets, not to mention rewarding. The prize for hitting the pot varies, but it often grows to millions of coins. They come in different shapes and sizes. When you play one of these jackpots, a part of your bet contributes to the growing pot. Some have limits, others have none. The best progressive jackpots can grow quite large, and have already made many players millionaires.
It’s the dream of any slot player to hit a jackpot and bank in millions. That might not happen with classic slots, but progressive jackpots offer that chance. Winning the jackpot doesn’t come easy. You may need to trigger a jackpot mini-game, or it may be randomly awarded when you play at a higher bet. Either way, the winning potential is off the charts, and it’s all down to your luck.
The term progressive explains the exact type of jackpot on offer – one that grows with each hand. In many ways, it’s like a poker pot, but you don’t need any particular skills to win it.
With that being said, many players jump into action lured by the amazing winning potential. That’s a mistake. Before you start playing progressive jackpots, you need to do a bit of research.
Types of Progressive Jackpots
There are 3 different types of progressive jackpots. We’ll break them down in the paragraphs below.
- Standalone progressive jackpot: this is the type of slot game with a standalone jackpot that builds up on that game specifically. It’s not linked to other games and not part of a provider’s or operator’s network.
- Local progressive jackpot: local progressive jackpots indicate multiple slots that are part of the same group. It might be a series of jackpots that runs exclusively in one online casino. If a player hits the jackpot on one game, the meter is reset to the start point in all of the games.
- Network progressive jackpot: network progressives are also known as wide-area jackpots. These games are developed by the same studio and are linked across several casinos. You can play and hit a network jackpot in any casino that offers it, with the prizes resetting as soon as a lucky player wins the top reward.
Your odds of hitting a progressive jackpot are higher on standalone slots and lower on local or network jackpots. That’s because you’re competing against a group of players for the latter. On average, the chances of hitting a network progressive jackpot are 1 in 50 million, which is not to say it’s an impossible feat.
How to Choose the Ideal Progressive Jackpot?
There’s no winning formula on hitting a progressive jackpot or choosing the best one. Or choosing high-paying slots such as Sweet Bonanza, which offers an impressive winning potential of over 20,000x the bet. However, there are some tips on finding the best progressive jackpot so that you get decent chances.
First things first – if you want the best chances of hitting a huge progressive pot, you should keep an eye on rising jackpots. Visit a few casino sites and check to see which jackpots are close to paying out. Or close to bursting would be more appropriate. Some progressive jackpots are wound up in a way that they’re set to hit when the jackpot reaches a certain amount. Many casinos display the jackpots on the front page, allowing you to see when a jackpot is about to pop. In that way, you can try your luck on a particular jackpot and see if Lady Luck smiles down on you.
Choosing smaller network progressive jackpots also gives you a better chance. These slots usually don’t have that many players. With lesser competition, your chances would be much higher. It’s still one in a million or more, but hey, why not take better odds when you have them?
If you want to get the best chances on progressive jackpots, you should max out your bet on each spin. Most of them require max bets to reward the progressive pot prize. Yes, this can be costly, but if the progressive jackpot is worth millions, it will be worth it. You’ll only qualify for the top prize if you meet the betting requirements, so make sure to check this info before you start playing.
You should also take a look at progressive jackpots that have a history of paying out big. For example, Games Global’s Mega Moolah holds the record for biggest progressive jackpot win ever – it’s in the Guinness World of Records. There are many slots in the Mega Moolah series, so you’ll surely find a fit. One note – Mega Moolah awards the Mega jackpot (or the others) randomly, but you’ll have to bet the max on each spin.
Last, but not least, you should always play progressive jackpots at high-payout casinos. Many of them will publicly display the RTP and how often they pay out. This is crucial if you want to get a decent chance of hitting the jackpot. Some casinos have a much lower payout rate than others, so you should only stick to the highest ones.
Ready to Hit the Progressive Jackpot?
If you follow the aforementioned tips, you should already be well on your way to finding the top progressive jackpot. Play responsibly and stay calm – with a bit of luck, the million-dollar prizes may come to your hands.
