Progressive Jackpots – The Ultimate Winning Guide
Progressive jackpots increase over time juicing up the jackpot each time a player doesn’t win. The result is massive jackpots which sometimes reach into the millions of dollars.
The following article attempts to provide players with progressive jackpot tips to help increase their chance of hitting big at legal online casinos.
What Are Progressive Jackpots?
To put it simply, progressive jackpots are essentially casino games which have a jackpot attached to it that accumulates over time. There is no fixed sum for progressive jackpots but rather it keeps growing the more players play it.
Each time a player plays the progressive jackpot game a small percentage of their buy-in goes into the jackpot.
Eventually, when one lucky player makes the right combination to hit the progressive jackpot they will walk away with all the money that accumulated up until then.
Most progressive jackpots have a minimum amount that they reset to when a player hits the jackpot.
There are three types of progressive jackpots:
- The Stand-Alone Progressive Jackpots – stand-alone progressive jackpots are not linked to any other online slots sites. General progressive Jackpots for stand-alone progressive slots are much lower than the progressive jackpots which are connected with other online casinos and jackpots.
- The In-House Progressive Jackpot – with in-house progressive jackpots, a group of slots combine or are linked together to form larger jackpots by each adding to a main jackpot.
- The Wide Range Progressive Jackpots- wide range progressive jackpots are linked together from various different online casinos and provide the largest jackpots due to the number of players accumulating towards them.
Jackpots can vary greatly in size with some in the hundreds of dollars to top progressive jackpot games. For example, Mega Moolah, reaching well into the millions.
As the jackpots increase the likelihood of winning the jackpot stays the same. This gives users the opportunity to win massive amounts of money if they strike when the pots are at their highest.
While most progressive jackpot games are found in slots titles, many table games and video poker titles also provide users with the chance to play progressive jackpots.
How Do Progressive Jackpots Work?
The reason they are called ‘progressive jackpots’ is because the prize money keeps growing in the form of a jackpot until it is eventually hit.
This is different from non-progressive jackpots that provide a set dollar amount which will constitute the jackpot winnings.
Playing progressive jackpot games is generally the exact same as playing a normal slot or video poker game.
With the addition of a progressive jackpot ticker and a special winning jackpot combination which unlocks the jackpot prize.
When you play progressive jackpots online, often a group of casinos pools their players together to the same prize pool.
This allows for larger jackpots that increase at a much faster rate due to the players adding to the prize pool each time they play real money games.
Some of the largest jackpot games online at the moment are linked to hundreds of online casinos from all over the world.
Casinos ensure fair play by using random number generators. This ensures that each spin or hand has the same chance of winning.
This means that playing a particular progressive jackpot game for a long time does not increase the likelihood of winning in the future.
Before you play any progressive jackpot game be sure to read up on the specific rules for the game as the can change from game to game.
In some cases, a specific set of occurrences will require users to accept the jackpot manually.
What Are The Odds Of Winning Progressive Jackpots?
As you would expect the chances of winning a progressive jackpot are fairly low, given the massive prizes involved. Each progressive jackpot has a winning combination which must be completed in order to win the jackpot.
In most cases, the hit frequency of the winning combination is extremely low. Generally, the larger a jackpot is, the lower the chances of hitting the winning combination.
Due to random number generators, there is no difference between playing a progressive jackpot for hours or having your first spin. The likelihood of winning each time you play is still the same.
Each spin or hand is independent of the other. Therefore, playing for longer will not affect the probability of winning in the future.
In general, it takes between three to six months to win most progressive jackpots. Some of the larger jackpots can take several months to years.
Many progressive slots have high RTP (Return To Player), even though the chance of hitting the progressive jackpot might be very low. RTP is a measure of how much a slot machine pays back to its players for each unit wagered over time.
For example, if a progressive slot has an RTP of 95%, the house edge is only 5%.
These slots are ideal for users looking to win big but not wanting to lose a large sum of money in the process. Generally, RTPs are around the 88-95% mark for top progressive jackpot games.
Are Progressive Jackpots Worth It?
The answer to the question are progressive jackpots worth it may depend on what you are looking to achieve. If you are looking to win big, there are no better opportunities online than progressive jackpots.
The sheer size of the jackpot prizes is greater than any other casino game available online.
Many of the biggest progressive jackpots available online give users the chance to win jackpots well into the millions of dollars. This is astronomical given the relative size of the buy-ins that are required to play.
If however, you are looking for the highest win percentage casino games, then progressive jackpot games cannot compete with the highest RTP games available.
While the very best progressive jackpot games, such as Mega Moolah and Major Millions, provide RTPs around the 88-89% mark, the lowest margin slots games, such as Mega Joker and Retro Reels, allow players to play with an RTP of over 98%.
Progressive slots games require giving up a larger house margin of winning to fund the jackpot.
All in all, it comes down to your frequency of play and overall goal when playing casino games. If you are a consistent player who plays a large number of hours, then the higher margins taken by the casinos may not be worth the low chance of winning. You might want to opt for some safer online casino games instead.
On the other hand, if you’re not worried about losing a little extra overtime with the chance to make a massive payout, progressive jackpots can be the perfect option.
By developing a strategy and reading on progressive jackpot tips, you can become more prepared and confident to start playing.
Progressive Jackpots Tips for Biggest Payouts
As mentioned before, progressive jackpots can get well into the millions of dollars, with some even reaching seven figures.
The following is a list of some of the top games available at the moment and their biggest payouts:
MEGA MOOLAH
With an average jackpot of $7.2 million dollars in 2018, Mega Moolah is undoubtedly the king of progressive jackpot games. The jackpot was triggered 7 times last year for a total of over 50 million dollars in jackpot cash.
The game connects hundreds of online casinos from all over the world. They contribute to one massive prize pool that grows by the millions each month.
The biggest ever recorded payout for Mega Moolah was a 13 Million pound payday. This took place in 2015 for the very lucky Jonathan Heywood from Cheshire in the UK on a 0.25p spin!
MEGA FORTUNE
NetEnt’s Mega Fortune is another one of the most notable progressive jackpot games available to online players. Rivaling the jackpots put up by Mega Moolah, the game has given out payouts as big as 17.8 Million Euros.
Other notable payouts on the Mega Fortune progressive slots saw lucky players walk away with 8.7, 4.9, and 11.2 million Euros.
This slot game is expected to continue dishing out massive paydays in the coming years.
HALL OF GODS
Hall of Gods is another popular NetEnt Progressive slots game which is based in Norse mythology. The jackpot has given out payouts of 7.7 Million pounds on multiple occasions.
While the game hasn’t reached the record-breaking heights of the Mega Moolah and Mega Fortune slots games, Hall of Gods provides a very good RTP for a progressive jackpot game. It should be considered a great option for avid slots players looking for a big win.
Progressive Jackpot Tips & Strategies
It is impossible to give a sure shot method of winning a progressive jackpot. However, there are some very simple methods of maximizing your chance of winning and making sure you win big if you do end up lucky enough to strike. Here are some of our progressive jackpot tips:
TIP #1: LOOK FOR OVERDUE JACKPOTS
Even though a random number generator can make sure each spin on a progressive jackpot has an equal chance of winning, this doesn’t mean that the jackpot you win will always be the same size.
Always look for jackpots that are at their average jackpot-winning size or above to ensure you are getting the most amount of money on the rare chance to hit.
The best way to search for progressive jackpots to play is to research past winners and average jackpot sizes and then deciding if the jackpot is ripe for the picking. Be sure not to wait too long however, you may miss your chance.
TIP #2: USE BONUS PROMOTIONS
Many online casinos provide bonus promotions which allow users to play progressive slots for free. Make sure you cash in on these promotions for a free run and some massive prizes.
Many of the promotions are Welcome Offers and Reload Bonuses, which may require a deposit before you can receive the free spins.
So be sure to do your research on the casino and progressive slots you would like to play before committing.
TIP #4: REVIEW WITHDRAWAL LIMITS
Most online casinos have cash out limits which allow users to only withdraw a certain maximum amount of money per month. Withdrawal limits can be based on the payment method used.
Make sure you take a look at the cashier section and determine if you have a payment method which could possibly withdraw all the winnings from a jackpot if you hit.
If the casino has very low withdrawal limits your money might get stuck on the platform for a very long time.
Progressive Jackpot Tips FAQ
The following FAQ section can be used to answer any frequently asked question regarding progressive jackpot tips:
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PROGRESSIVE AND NON-PROGRESSIVE JACKPOTS?
Progressive jackpots accumulate in the money based on real money gameplay, whereas non-progressive jackpots simply give a set jackpot amount. In general progressive jackpots are harder to hit and give larger payouts.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST PAYOUT EVER ON A PROGRESSIVE JACKPOT?
The biggest payout ever on a progressive jackpot was on the Mega Moolah slots game, which totaled to almost 13 millions pounds.
WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF WINNING A PROGRESSIVE JACKPOT?
The odds of winning a progressive jackpot vary based on the game. Some of the smaller jackpots give odds of around 100,000 to 1 where are some of the biggest jackpots have odds as high as 50,000,000 to 1.
