Very popular with online casino players, the progressive jackpot allows the big winner to win exceptional amounts of money! In both traditional and online casinos, the concept was immediately appealing, as it promises the winner up to several million euros.
In this article, we explain the concept of the progressive jackpot and its application in slot machines to help you hit that jackpot !
Progressive Jackpot Slots
Progressive jackpots are used for most casino games, both for casino table games (roulette, blackjack, poker) and slot machines. The latter is a very popular category, so they are most commonly used on the latter.
What is a progressive jackpot ?
A progressive jackpot is a jackpot system that is based on a common pot of participants’ bets. The amount of the pot increases with each game with all the new bets, and the more players there are, the bigger the progressive jackpot becomes.
Therefore, as the progressive jackpot increases, more players will try their luck and contribute to the pot. Until one lucky player wins the progressive jackpot, in which case the jackpot starts from 0.
There are also fixed jackpots on slot machines. The amount is fixed at the start and does not change according to the amount of money bet.
The principle of a slot machine with a progressive jackpot
As mentioned above, a progressive jackpot is a system of jackpots on connected slot machines. With this network, the jackpots from each machine are pooled together to offer a larger pot! This prize pool increases depending on the number of slots connected, the number of players on the machine and the amount of all bets played. Progressive jackpot slots can easily be found either with the logo “Progressive Jackpot” or under the name sticky bandits.
To begin with, the progressive jackpot on a slot machine starts with a small stake that will increase as players wager. So interconnected slot machines with jackpots offer 2 types of progressive jackpots:
- The big jackpots that will be played on very popular slot machines with very large numbers of players. As a result, the chances of winning the jackpot are lower.
- Smaller progressive jackpots that are more accessible with amounts that are still interesting to win. But also much easier for the lucky player to win the pot.
How to win the progressive jackpot?
Now that you know all about the progressive jackpot, we’ll give you our top tips on how to try and win the jackpot!
Choosing the right slot machine
The choice of slot machine is above all essential, obviously you need a slot machine with a progressive jackpot. They are easily recognizable with the “Progressive Jackpot” logo. Then to know if a slot machine with a progressive jackpot is worth playing, you have to divide the amount to be won by the amount bet in the machine. The higher the ratio, the more likely the machine is to win a jackpot. Finally, the choice will be made based on intuition. Finally, once the slot machine has been chosen, it will be necessary to be patient and faithful to the game.
Those who bet the most on a slot machine will have a better chance of winning the jackpot.
We also advise you to choose a slot machine with the highest possible payout. This means that more players are betting and therefore the potential pot is much bigger. These are often slot machines with more lines.
The secret to winning a progressive jackpot
First of all, we would like to remind you that casino games with a progressive jackpot are still fun and games. Potential wins are therefore based solely on luck and bankroll. If gambling no longer becomes a source of entertainment and you start to experience heavy losses then you may be in a gambling addiction situation.
Now you can still implement gambling strategies that will allow you to maximize your chances of winning the jackpot. To begin with, you should know that progressive slot machines are more expensive to play than regular machines, with higher stakes. Therefore, you need to have a good starting capital and a good bankroll management to go for the jackpot.
Indeed, winning the jackpot on a slot machine requires a lot of patience and long hours on the game. As we have already mentioned, the choice of the slot machine is important, so it is important to consider the maximum amounts you can win on each one of them. But also to find the slot machine that offers a good ratio between the bets and the chances of winning.
You should also look at the specifics of the machines and which ones offer high payouts with maximum bets. Some of the slot machines offer better jackpots to those who have wagered the most money on the game. So it is in your best interest to bet as much as possible and for as long as possible on a single progressive jackpot machine.
The best progressive jackpot slot machines?
The most famous progressive jackpot slot providers today are Playtech, NetEnt, Microgaming, Pragmatic Play games or Yggdrasil casino games. Slot machines are very entertaining and the prize pool can reach huge amounts.
Mega Moolah – Microgaming
Mega Moolah is one of the most popular progressive jackpot slots, mainly because of the jackpot amounts (€700 million since its creation). Microgaming’s MegaMoolah is a true progressive jackpot pioneer whose success remains intact with many players.
This 5-reel slot offers 25 paylines. The game takes place in a jungle setting with symbols representing wild animals such as lions, elephants, monkeys, giraffes etc.. The bets vary from a minimum of 50 cents to a maximum of €6.25.
Its particularity lies in its 4 progressive jackpots: the Mega Jackpot which starts at €1 million, then the Major Jackpot which starts at €10,000, the Minor Jackpot at €100 and the Mini Jackpot which starts at €10. These can be won with a bonus game that brings up a wheel of fortune.
The slot machine also has the classic slot features. In addition to its progressive jackpot, MegaMoolah features Wilds symbols symbolised by the lion, which can form winning combinations and double the winnings. There is also a scatter symbol, represented by the monkey, which when combined with 3 of these symbols, gives you 15 freespins (free spins).
Mega Fortune – NetEnt
Try to become a millionaire with NetEnt’s progressive jackpot slot machine, Mega Fortune! You will be immersed in the world of luxury and business with symbols such as bundles of cash, limousines and watches to try to win the jackpot.
MegaFortune has 5 reels and 3 rows to offer 25 paylines. You can place your bets per spin from a minimum of 25 cents up to €50. You win if you combine 3 or more symbols up to 2162x your starting bet.
Its great feature is the bonus wheel that can win one of the game’s three progressive jackpots, including the Mega Jackpot which starts at €150,000 and can go on to reach huge heights! To unlock this bonus wheel you must get at least 3 bonus wheels.
Among its bonus features, you will find wild cards in the form of bonus wilds and free spins. The free spins are won with the champagne symbol. Then you have to select one of the champagne symbols to get your number of free spins and the multiplier.
Finally, like most NetEnt games, MegaFortune is available in a mobile version so you can play it anywhere on a tablet or smartphone.
Joker Millions – Yggdrasil
Released in 2015, Yggdrasil’s Joker Millions slot with its progressive jackpot is still coveted by online casino players. Although it looks mundane, with its fruit theme, bells and other more traditional slot symbols.
It consists of 5 reels with 3 rows for 25 possible paylines. You can bet a minimum of 25 cents up to a maximum of €25 per spin. It has a 94.3% RTP which is not a very high payout rate compared to other slot machines.
But what makes Joker Millions so special is its coveted progressive jackpot. Every time a player bets, a 5.5% share of the jackpot is added to the pool. The jackpot continues to grow until one lucky player hits the jackpot by triggering the Joker feature. To do this, you need to get 5 jokers on a line, then each time another joker appears, the machine respins. If 15 jokers are obtained then he wins the jackpot. In this case, the new progressive jackpot pool starts at €100,000.
In 2018, a Swedish player hit a jackpot of €7.83 million on JokerMillions!
As for the other features of the game, you will find the Freeze function which allows you to freeze the winning combinations and to keep the machine spinning to hope to make more of them. You also have the freespins feature (free spins) with the 3 scatters. Finally, the column multiplier feature, when the reels are stacked with the same symbol then you will get a multiplier of x1, x2 or more for all winning spins.
Progressive jackpots are also available for table games, such as Caribbean Stud Poker.
