A progressive jackpot slot is that special type of game - the one that offers the dream, life-changing win… a prize that gets better the more someone spins the reels.
With the most popular games, these jackpots can be worth millions of pounds or dollars or euros, etc. so it comes as little surprise that these are not some of the most popular games in the industry as players prefer to pick slots based on themes, probabilities and other contributing factors. If you do want to play for the big win, let’s take a look at how they work, how to play them and how to have the best chance of winning.
A progressive jackpot slot game is called this because it has a jackpot prize that gets progressively bigger the more people play - and continues to do so until someone eventually wins. There is no maximum amount it can get to - it just keeps growing and growing.
The biggest progressive jackpot slots are connected to one big network which means that no matter where they are being played - no matter in what casino and where in the world you are playing, it all goes into one central jackpot. One lucky player, from anywhere in the world, could be the one to hit the win.
Essentially, a progressive slot is a slot game with a cash prize that keeps getting bigger each time a bet is placed on it and the jackpot doesn’t drop. A small percentage of every bet made on it is taken and placed into the pot - so you can see it rise with every spin played. When the jackpot drops, it goes back down to its original set minimum win - the jackpot seed.
So, let’s dive into the workings of the progressive slot:
The Contribution: This is the small portion of the money taken out of every bet made on the game. This usually sits at around 2 to 3% of your bet.
The Seed: No jackpot can start at £0. What would be the point of winning it? Each jackpot has a minimum amount that it can be, which is called the ‘seed’. It could be £500,000 up to £1 million - give or take. When the jackpot is one, it drops down to the seed and starts again.
The Jackpot Prize: The prize will keep getting bigger until it has been won. The most famous are those with million-pound prizes - but there are many more, with some a lot lower but with a better chance of winning.
If you are familiar with how to play slots online then progressive slot games aren’t too different. Slot games are ultimately all about luck - and the same is true of progressive jackpot games.
The jackpot slot result of each spin is determined by the Random Number Generator, which is based on a mathematical algorithm. However, there are different types of games and with each progressive game, there are different ways to win the jackpot. It might be matching symbols on the reels, filling the grid with special symbols, or playing a special bonus game or bonus wheel. It may even be that there are different types of jackpots to win, such as Minor, Major and Mega etc.
Games such as Red Tiger’s Daily Jackpot game, Dynamite Riches, simply require you to get 3 jackpot symbols when playing the base game. This will then take you to the jackpot wheel which you can spin to win one of the three jackpots.
However, games such as Mega Jackpot are simpler - you simply need to land 5 jackpot symbols on the central payline. Then, we have the Jackpot King slot. To win this, you need to trigger the game’s Jackpot King Deluxe bonus round. You then need to land 15 or more of the King symbols to launch the jackpot wheel - even then, the big win isn’t guaranteed.
No matter what games you play, most jackpot games often give you a better chance of winning if you play higher stakes. Remember though, the chance of winning that life-changing win is very, very minimal, so just have fun and hope for the best!