If you’re looking to win a jackpot that could change your life, then progressive slots are the game to play. Let’s face it—you’ll never win several hundred thousand playing blackjack or roulette. The payouts just aren’t high enough.
The purpose of this page is to provide an explanation of what progressive slots are, how they work, and why you might be interested in playing them. We’ve also included descriptions of some of the more popular progressive jackpots available both online and in traditional brick-and-mortar casinos.
- What is a progressive slot machine? Progressive slot machines take a tiny amount of every bet you make and add it to a jackpot prize. That magical total keeps on rising until a lucky punter comes along and hits the jackpot, scooping the lot. While you can have a standalone progressive slot, it’s more common in a casino or an online casino.
- Progressive Slots. Progressive slots and slot machines have a jackpot that increases incrementally as players play the game. These can be standalone machines, where the jackpot increases on just that one machine, or they can be networks of machines, where the jackpot increases across the entire network.
A casino may connect a group of slot machines together so that they share a progressive jackpot. Years ago all the machines had to be physically connected to each other but now with modern computer technology the progressive games can be interlinked more easily through a network configuration.
What Is a Progressive Slot, and How Does It Work?
On most slot machines, the jackpot is a fixed amount, but on a progressive game, the jackpot rises as players put coins in the machine and spin the wheels. A tiny percentage of each coin played is used to “feed” the jackpot. There are three types of progressive slot machine games.
Standalone Progressives
A standalone progressive slot machine has a jackpot ticker on the game, but only bets placed on that specific machine feed the jackpot. This was, at one time, the only kind of progressive slot machine game available, but most progressives feature multiple machines that are linked together. Still, so many standalone machines were manufactured that these games are still easily found in casinos throughout the world. Usually the jackpot on the games will be under $10,000.
Local Progressives
Local progressives were the next step in the evolution of this type of game, and they’re still commonly found. These games feature jackpots within a specific casino that are linked. This network can include as few as a dozen or so machines, or it can include a hundred machines—it just depends on the casino. Usually the jackpots available on these games are under $1,000,000, and often they’re under $100,000.
Wide Area Network Progressives
These are some of the most popular casino games on the market today. A wide area network jackpot links slot machines from multiple casinos in the same state. This allows the jackpot to accumulate into astronomical sums of money, often over $1 million and sometimes even over $10 million. The most well-known brand of wide area network progressives are the Megabucks games from IGT, which is the most successful slot machine design company in the world.
How Do You Win a Progressive Jackpot?
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Progressive Slot Machine Winning Videos
No strategy or system can increase your chances of winning a progressive jackpot on a slot machine game. The odds of winning are similar to the odds of winning the lottery, although you get many more chances of winning per hour with a slot machine game than you would get playing a lottery game.
An important thing to keep in mind about progressive jackpots is that they don’t become “due”. The chances of winning are astronomically small no matter how large the jackpot has gotten. It’s possible for a jackpot to grow large enough that a bet on a particular slots game will be a positive expectation bet, but it’s not a practical opportunity to win. A 1 in a million shot is still a 1 in a million shot, even if the jackpot is up to $2 million.
Online Progressive Jackpots
With the rise of online casinos, progressive jackpots on the Internet have become just as popular as the games in actual land-based casinos. Microgaming is one Internet casino provider which has established its fame and reputation based largely on its large assortment of fun, colorful, and relatively loose progressive jackpot games.
Online progressives work just like their land-based cousins. Every wager you make on your computer feeds a tiny amount into the progressive jackpot for that game. Since lots of players are now gambling from the comfort of their homes, these jackpots can become just as large and life-changing as the progressives in Vegas or Atlantic City.
Most Popular Progressive Games
Megabucks is one of the most popular progressive networks available. The probability of winning this jackpot has been estimated at 1 in 50 million. The amounts won on this machine vary from $10 million into the hundreds of millions. Like many lottery games, Megabucks is paid out as an annuity over 25 years.
Wheel of Fortune is a popular brand of slot machine, and it’s available in multiple denominations. One of the most common versions is the quarter version, which has a starting jackpot of $200,000. The jackpot on this game has gotten close to $2 million in the past, but it’s usually won when it’s still under $1 million.
The dollar version of Wheel of Fortune progressives starts with a $1 million jackpot. It’s not unusual for the game to reach $5 million or more, and it’s almost reach $10 million on occasion. Like Megabucks, this jackpot is paid out as an annuity over time.
Elvis isn’t just the king of rock and roll. He’s also a symbol of classic Vegas, so it’s entirely appropriate that he has a progressive slot machine network named after him. The game starts with a $100,000 jackpot, and it costs 25 cents per spin. Keep in mind that to be eligible for the jackpot, you have to make the max bet, which is 3 coins, or 75 cents. We don’t recommend playing progressive slots without making the max bet, because you usually won’t be eligible for the top prize unless you do.
Mega Moolah is an online-only progressive jackpot available at Internet casinos powered by Microgaming software. Multiple games feature the brand name, and the jackpots and betting limits vary. This progressive network features some of the largest jackpots online, often reaching $1 million or more.
The following is a short-listing of quick slot machine tips. These tips are meant as a supplement to basic slots strategy. Follow these slot machine tips for some general slot machine guidelines and a bit of advice from experienced slots players.
- Each slot machine spin is completely independent. This means if someone gets a big payout at a slot machine you recently left, you didn’t actually miss out on the payout. It’s highly unlikely you would have gotten the payout if you had stayed at the machine because the outcome is due to the rapid generation of random numbers and not the number of spins.
- A machine is never due to hit a jackpot. Each time you spin the reels at a slot machine you have the same chance of hitting any jackpot regardless of whether or not the machine has recently hit this jackpot. This means that a machine can go many days without a significant payout or could have two giant payouts in a row.
- Three-reel slot machines with only one payline usually offer the best overall percentages for coming out ahead.
- Avoid multiple-payline slots. It seems like your odds would be better with the increase in paylines but the payout rates aren’t nearly as good as those found on single-payline slots.
- Avoid progressive slot machines. The huge payouts are very tempting but the random number generators in these machines are programmed to produce a higher number of reels and symbols, decreasing your odds.
- Higher denomination machines often have higher payback percentages. You’ll usually do better playing a single coin in a dollar slot machine than three coins in a quarter slot machine.
- To win jackpots and the highest payouts you should always play maximum coins.
- Play the number of coins you feel comfortable with. Yes, more coins often means a better payout, but it’s your money and if you’d rather play under the maximum amount then you should do so.
- Faster play does not increase your chances of winning. A person playing slots faster may appear to be winning more but it’s just because they’re spinning more within a given amount of time.
- It doesn’t matter if you pull the handle or hit the Spin button. People have their superstitions but the slot machine couldn’t care less.
- The number of coins played has no affect on the outcome of the spin. However, number of coins played may affect the payout.
- Know when to stop spinning. Decide on your bankroll before you sit down at a machine. When that money is gone it’s time to go.
- Decide when to move on. If you don’t win a payout in a certain number of spins (say 6 or 8 or 10 etc.) then move on to another machine. This strategy will keep you from losing all your money back to a machine that isn’t paying out. At the same time it will keep you winning at a loose machine.
- The loosest slots are often in high traffic areas. Look for loose slots near the cashier, main casino aisles, restaurants, and shops. Despite popular opinion, casinos do not hide their best paying machines. It’s in their best interest for people to see winners.
- Most casinos will “cap” (hold) a machine for you if you want to take a break. Ask a slot or change attendant if you want your machine capped, but be sure to take your money with you.
- Use your player’s card. You can get a lot of great free stuff with a player’s card, and it only takes a couple minutes to get one.
- Don’t forget to take your player’s card when you leave. If you do forget, you can usually get a new one from the casino with your balance intact.