Progressive Slot Machines
US players, read this first. Online casino and sportsbook law is decided state by state, and the operators listed here are licensed offshore rather than by a US state regulator. Check what is legal where you live before you deposit. You must be 21 or older. Responsible gambling · 1-800-GAMBLER
On this page
Many slot machines, especially the most modern games, have multiple progressive jackpots in one. Games like Quick Hits, for example, have several tiers of jackpots. The lowest jackpot will be the easiest to hit, the highest will be the toughest to hit. You may need X amount of symbols to hit the lower progressive jackpot, and x+4 more symbols to win the highest progressive. Some games are more complex than others, however, and jackpots may be earned in different ways.
There are many different types of slot machines, but one of the easiest way to breakdown categories of games is by determining whether or not it is a progressive. A progressive slot machine pays out more each time that a player spins, but does not win the jackpot. For example, if a machine has a $1,000.50 progressive meter, and you play one losing spin, the jackpot would then rise to $1,000.51, or another close figure. This is a very simple example of how progressive slots function.
Many slot machines, especially the most modern games, have multiple progressive jackpots in one. Games like Quick Hits, for example, have several tiers of jackpots. The lowest jackpot will be the easiest to hit, the highest will be the toughest to hit. You may need X amount of symbols to hit the lower progressive jackpot, and x+4 more symbols to win the highest progressive. Some games are more complex than others, however, and jackpots may be earned in different ways.
How Progressive Jackpots are Created
A large jackpot might appear confusing because of the vast sums involved. It doesn’t make much sense that a $2.50 Wheel of Fortune Slot would perhaps have a massive payoff of $200,000 or more, but they frequently do. The usual misconception suggests that this machine alone has gathered over $200,000 in losing wagers that are now available for the taking, but this is not true. In reality, games like this are part of “linked” machines, typically across multiple casinos. Practically speaking, if you are in Las Vegas, all of the WOF spins may constantly pour into the same pool of money. Excitement grows quickly with each bet made. This is how the overall jackpot size can be so large, even when the spin denominations are very small.
Thus, the exact amount that a progressive increases with every spin will be quite small. The total rise will be as a percentage of your wager, coupled with the house advantage for the casino. If the expected profit for the house on a $5 progressive slot spin is 7%, that would mean a 35 cent increase on every spin. Since it is a progressive, potentially 2% is taken from this and put towards the progressive jackpot total, amounting to 10 cents per spin. A short sentence explains it. 10 cents per spin may not appear like a lot, but when there are millions of spins occurring across the US day in and day out, the total prize pool can increase exceptionally rapidly.
How to Be Eligible for a Progressive Jackpot Win
The biggest caveat to being able to win a progressive slot machine jackpot is playing the max bet allowed. Almost every progressive slot requires that the player complete a max wager in order to potentially win the listed jackpot. Yes, this means that you will need to have a larger bankroll to play, but you will be sacrificing a lot of value by not betting.
While betting the maximum possible, you will be giving yourself the best chance at a positive return, regardless of how many actual dollars you are putting at risk. If you can not reasonably afford to place max bets on a progressive slot, we suggest to instead play an entirely different machine. You are chasing a low ceiling if you are placing wagers that do not have any way of potentially cashing in on the progressive jackpot. Progressives are available at virtually every wager limit though, so you can bump down in stakes and still enjoy the rush of a progressive machine, even if you can’t play at high stakes.
Fixed Jackpots vs. Progressive Jackpots
When you see a slot, you may notice a big potential win advertised at the top of the machine. For lower limit games, this might be $5,000, while for $25/spin games, it may be $100,000. Whatever the total may be, you shouldn’t confuse these slots with progressive machines. The total looks the same as it does on a running progress, but these numbers do not adjust; they are simply the max win possible on that particular machine, represented as dollars instead of credits.