Offering mind-blowing jackpots of millions of dollars, progressive slots are among the most popular casino games on the market today. Although experienced players are well aware that there are plenty of games with a much lower house edge such as blackjack or poker, they still flock to popular networked progressives. Their motivation is obvious – no other game can provide such high payouts.
Progressive jackpots started appearing in some slot machines across Las Vegas several decades ago but their jackpots were fed by only bets on specific machines and the payouts rarely went beyond $10,000. This type of slot machines is still widely spread in brick-and-mortar casinos all over the world but its popularity has slightly sunk after the rise of web-based casinos. Today, progressive video slots attract thousands of online players each day and often accumulate jackpots of more than $10 million. Meanwhile, players know that with a little bit of luck, they can collect life-changing winnings with a single bet worth only a few dollars.
How Progressive Jackpots Work
Unlike most slot games where the jackpot is fixed, progressive slots have incrementally increasing jackpots that grow with every bet placed on them. The idea is quite simple – a small percentage of every wager feeds the pool of money until one lucky player hits the winning combination that triggers a jackpot payout. Logically, the highest jackpots can be won on games with the highest bets and the most players. Several interesting things should be taken into consideration before investing your time and money into a progressive game.
Qualifying
One of the essential things players need to learn is the how to qualify for the jackpot because not every bet on a progressive slot can lead to winning the attractive payout.
Jackpot Meter
There is another important component in this kind of games. Once the jackpot is won, the amount of the highest payout resets and gets back to the level from which it started.
Odds and Expected Return
The odds of hitting a progressive jackpot on a slot game are extremely small – often smaller than winning the lottery, and if we remove the jackpot from the calculation, the house edge becomes very different.
Qualifying Additional TipsMany of these games would require players to place maximum bets for the chance of hitting the big win. For some games, this would mean betting more than $10 per spin or even more when you bet on all lines. For this reason, players should decide for themselves whether chasing the jackpot is really worth it – it is if you are playing a relatively loose game and you have a sufficiently big bankroll.
Some of the most popular progressives right now pay out the jackpot when you play with the maximum number of coins (usually 5 or 10), but you can avoid bankruptcy with the help of a simple strategy. You should play with 10 coins but at the same time, choose a small coin denomination to keep the size of every bet more suited to your budget. Unlike progressive poker, for instance, where players need to make a side bet in order to be eligible for the jackpot, the “entry fee” in progressive slots is not immediately noticed by the player as it is a part of the regular bet.
Jackpot Meter Additional TipsHowever, progressive jackpots do not start from zero but from a preset minimum level, known as a seed. While in some games, the sum is $100 or $10,000, in others, the starting level is $1 million. For example, the progressive game you play regularly with the hope of winning pays out your dream prize to another player. Still, if you continue to play over the next week or two and manage to land a winning combination, you may still collect $2 million.
Almost all progressives feature a jackpot meter – this is the digital representation of the constantly rising pool. Games display how much the jackpot advances in order to attract more players. But it is a useful tool for casino customers, as well, because they can see when the sum becomes attractive enough for them to start placing bets. The jackpot meter also shows whether a particular slot is popular or not. In popular games that attract more bettors, the jackpot size escalates much more quickly and the displayed amount rises accordingly.
Odds and Expected Return Additional TipsThe combination of symbols that triggers the massive payout is rare and on average, comes once in at least several million times. In fact, the odds of winning the jackpot in the popular progressives you can find online range greatly from 1 in 250,000 to 1 in 50 million. However, you do not have to play 50 million times in order to win. If you are lucky, you can collect the big prize with a single bet.
According to slot experts, the return percentage of progressives is much smaller than the return of flat-top slots. A return or payback percentage in a slot machine or another casino game is the average amount of money the player receives back as winnings. In theory, online slots have an RTP (Return to Player) of around 88%-97%, while blackjack and video poker over 98% and sometimes, even more than 100%. In progressive slots, however, a portion of the bet goes to feed the jackpot pool. Imagine a slot with an RTP of 95% – 5% is the house edge, or the casino profit, while the rest of the bet is returned in the form of winnings. As the profit almost always remains the same or rises, a progressive slot would also have at least a 5% house edge. Additionally, around 10% of the bet will go to the jackpot, although such a higher contribution to the pot is rare. As a result, the return to player will be a maximum of 85%.
The unfavorable odds, however, would hardly stop punters from playing progressives. The odds and return percentages of these games are very rarely made public. Moreover, if you win the jackpot, the return becomes astronomically high and you can forget about any of the aforementioned calculations altogether. With a win of $15 million in your pocket, all previous bets become irrelevant, which is why progressive slots are the most popular games in land-based and online casinos alike.
Popular Progressive Jackpot Games
Most of the largest casino game developers have added slots with progressive jackpots attached to them. Yet, the majority of slots in any given online casino would not fall into this category, so in order to find a good progressive game, you may have to do a proper research and check more sites than you would like to. Still, there are several progressive games which are just as lucrative as they are fun to play. Designed by some of the most respected companies in the gaming software development industry, they attract huge crowds with the promise of once-in-a-lifetime winnings.
| Top Progressive Slots | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slot Title | Software Provider | RTP | Reels | Paylines | Bonus Features |
| Mega Moolah | Microgaming | 88.12% | 5 | 25 | Free Spins |
| Mega Fortune | NetEnt | 96.00% | 5 | 25 | Free Spins, Bonus Game |
| Jackpot Giant | Playtech | 94.22% | 5 | 50 | Giant Bonus Game, Scatter Wins |
| Hall of Gods | NetEnt | 95.30% | 5 | 20 | Expanding Wilds, Free Spins, Bonus Game |
| African Legends | Microgaming (Slingshot Studios) | 94.92% | 5 | 243 ways to win | Rolling Reels, Wild Blast, Multiplier Trail, Free Spins |
| Book of Atem: WowPot | Microgaming (All41 Studios) | 96.45% | 5 | 10 | Free Spins, WowPot Bonus Wheel |
| Wheel of Wishes | Microgaming | 93.34% | 5 | 10 | Power Spins, Giant Symbols, Bonus Wheel |
| Divine Fortune | NetEnt | 96.60% | 5 | 20 | Free Spins, Re-Spins, Wild on Wild, Jackpot Bonus Game |
| Absolootly Mad: Mega Moolah | Microgaming (Triple Edge Studios) | 92.02% | 5 | 243 ways to win | Rolling Reels, Free Spins, Wilds collection |
| Leprechaun’s Luck | Playtech (Ash Gaming) | 88.01% | 5 | 20 | Wishing Well Feature, Free Spins, Rainbow of Wealth |
| Funky Fruits | Playtech | 92.07% | 5 | Cluster Pays | N/A |
| Joker Millions | Yggdrasil | 94.30% | 5 | 25 | Freeze & Re-Spin, Column Multiplier, Mystery Wins |
| Age of the Gods | Playtech | 95.02% | 5 | 20 | Free Spins, Special winning combination |
| Aztec’s Millions | RTG | 95.00% | 5 | 25 | Free Spins, Scatter wins |
| A Night With Cleo | Rival Gaming | 92.50% | 5 | 20 | Free Spins, Gamble Feature |
Mega Moolah
With a jackpot starting at $1 million, Mega Moolah is among the most generous and popular slot games around. It is developed by Microgaming, one of the giants in this industry, widely known for the many progressive jackpot games it has in its impressive portfolio. Interestingly, Mega Moolah is considered a penny slot, because the minimum bet starts from $0.01 per line and reaches $0.05, while the max bet is only $6.25. Mega Moolah is linked with other games and is part of Microgaming’s large Progressive Jackpot Network. This is the reason why the payouts are often above $5 million.
| Mega Moolah | |
|---|---|
| Supplier | Microgaming |
| Release Date | 2006 |
| RTP | 88.12% |
| Bet Limits | $0.25 – $6.25 |
| Seed Amount | $1,000,000.00 |
| Jackpot Tiers | Mega, Major, Minor, Mini |
| Winning Criteria | Randomly triggered |
| Average Drop Time | 8 weeks |
| Average Win | $6.1 million |
Watch Mega Moolah Gameplay
Mega Moolah Additional TipsMicrogaming’s famous slot is a beautiful, African safari-themed game with 5 reels and 25 lines, and a Wheel of Fortune which determines whether the player wins the jackpot or not. In fact, the slot has four separate jackpots and the bonus jackpot game is triggered at random, giving you the chance to win one of the four big prizes. The highest winning is the Mega Jackpot which starts at 1 million credits, a seed provided by Microgaming. Of course, the game also comes with plenty of other exciting features such as multipliers, Wilds (the Lions), Scatter symbols (the Monkeys), and free spins.
Mega Fortune
Another incredibly popular online slot with a progressive jackpot is the 5-reel, 25-line Mega Fortune game. It was created by Net Entertainment (NetEnt) which is one of the largest and most respected casino software providers today. The slot is inspired by the life of the rich and features a Yacht as a Wild symbol and a Champagne bottle as a Scatter symbol. Players can choose the number of active pay lines they wish to bet on while the maximum bet size is $50.
| Mega Fortune | |
|---|---|
| Supplier | NetEnt |
| Release Date | 2012 |
| RTP | 96% |
| Bet Limits | $0.25 – $50 |
| Seed Amount | $150,000.00 |
| Jackpot Tiers | Mega, Major, Rapid |
| Winning Criteria | Wheel symbols unlock jackpot game |
| Average Drop Time | 10 weeks |
| Average Win | $3.9 million |
Watch Mega Fortune Gameplay
Mega Fortune Additional TipsTo unlock the jackpot game, players need to line up at least three Bonus symbols. The bonus game consists of three Wheels of Fortune where you can choose either to get a coin prize or play for the jackpot. There are also three different jackpots, the highest being the Mega Jackpot, which has already made several lucky players multi-millionaires. The developer reveals that the theoretical return of the game is 96.6% and 5.39% of every bet contributes to the highest jackpots.
Jackpot Giant
Jackpot Giant is a 5-reel progressive slot which boasts 50 pay lines and some of the highest quality graphics ever created. The attractive game features a friendly giant who apparently lives in the Stone Age and spends his free time tossing coins into volcanoes. The company behind this exciting game is Playtech, an innovative developer and supplier of casino software solutions that rely on cutting-edge technologies. The company offers modern games with superior graphics, beautiful animations and tons of special symbols and bonus features.
| Jackpot Giant | |
|---|---|
| Supplier | NetEnt |
| Release Date | 2014 |
| RTP | 94.22% |
| Bet Limits | $0.50 – $4.00 |
| Seed Amount | N/A |
| Jackpot Tiers | Single-tier jackpot |
| Winning Criteria | 5 wild symbols on line 1 |
| Average Drop Time | 2 and a half years |
| Average Win | $5.8 million |
Watch Jackpot Giant Gameplay
Jackpot Giant Additional TipsThe progressive Jackpot Giant game comes packed with all these and with a jackpot triggered during regular play, instead of being available only in a bonus game. There are Wilds (a gold plate), two types of Scatters (the giant’s hand filled with gold coins and a separate bonus symbol), bonus rounds, multipliers, and free spins. To win the jackpot, players need to get 5 Wilds on the first line at the maximum bet of $4 per spin. Interestingly, you can bet only 1 coin per line and the max coin value is 0.08, making it the perfect slot even for budget jackpot hunters. The game also differs from most progressives today in the way its jackpot pool is accumulated. It is not in a larger network and all bets that fuel the jackpot are made only on this specific game.
Hall of Gods
Hall of Gods is an adventurous, 5-reel progressive slot which has 20 compulsory pay lines and offers some of the highest jackpots ever recorded. It was developed by NetEnt and since this is a Swedish company, it apparently knows how to create a truly superior game based on the Nordic gods and the Nordic mythology. There are plenty of Scandinavian gods such as Odin, Idun, Freya, Loki, and Thor, while the expanding Wild here is represented by a dragon. The Scatter symbol is two ravens and if you get at least three of them anywhere on the reels, you get up to 20 free spins.
| Hall of Gods | |
|---|---|
| Supplier | NetEnt |
| Release Date | 2010 |
| RTP | 95.3% |
| Bet Limits | $0.20 – $50.00 |
| Seed Amount | $100,000.00 |
| Jackpot Tiers | Mini, Midi, Mega |
| Winning Criteria | 3 bonus symbols activate jackpot game |
| Average Drop Time | 27 weeks |
| Average Win | $5.5 million |
Watch Hall of Gods Gameplay
Hall of Gods Additional TipsPlayers who want to qualify for the jackpot will need to wait for the bonus game. It is activated when three Bonus symbols appear anywhere on the third, fourth and fifth reels. They are represented by a hammer which hits a warrior’s shield. You can win one of three jackpots by opening shields during the bonus game and matching three jackpot symbols. Overall, the game is incredibly popular, especially among Scandinavian players, and has an average return percentage of 95.5%.
African Legends
Another progressive title that can be found at Microgaming online casinos is African Legends, which offers the highest-tier jackpot of the software’s progressive WowPot prize pool. The slot has been developed for Microgaming by the developing team of Slingshot Studios. With 243 ways to win, African Legends offers plenty of options for fruitful outcomes by landing identical symbols on three or more adjacent reels. The bet limits of the slot range between $0.25 and $25 but you should keep in mind that higher bets increase the chance of landing the progressive prize.
| African Legends | |
|---|---|
| Supplier | Microgaming (Slingshot Studios) |
| Release Date | 2020 |
| RTP | 94.92% |
| Bet Limits | $0.25 – $25 |
| Seed Amount | $50,000.00 |
| Jackpot Tiers | Single-tier jackpot |
| Winning Criteria | Eight consecutive rolls trigger progressive jackpot |
| Average Drop Time | 3 weeks 2 days |
| Average Win | $271,941.00 |
Watch African Legends Gameplay
African Legends Additional TipsEven without landing the progressive jackpot, players can enjoy a fruitful experience while playing African Legends as the game allows multiple wins thanks to its Rolling Reels feature. Whenever there is a win, the symbols comprising the lucky combination will disappear from the screen, opening space for the symbols above them. This may lead to another roll of wins, which will also increase the Multiplier Trail of the slot. If players are lucky enough to experience four rolls in a row, they will trigger 12 Free Spins, with the multiplier from the base game applied to the wins from the bonus round.
In the base game, the Wild Blast feature can be randomly triggered and transform up to five symbols into Wilds. The Win Multiplier trail will be activated by consecutive winning rolls, with the highest possible multiplier of 10x being awarded on seven consecutive rolls. If there are eight rolls in a row, players will win the Wow Major Jackpot, which is the highest tier of Microgaming’s WowPot progressive jackpot pool.
Book of Atem: WowPot
While Book of Atem: WowPot is also linked to Microgaming’s WowPot progressive jackpot, unlike African Legends, this slot will offer players the chance to win one of four jackpots comprising the WowPot prize pool. Developed by All41 Studios, this slot has an ancient Egyptian theme, which, at this point in time, is nothing unusual for video slots. That said, the game can be very intriguing as it features a few special symbols and bonus segments, offering players multiple chances for fruitful results.
The bet per spin amount can be adjusted to be anywhere between $0.10 and $100 but players who make higher bets will improve their chances of landing the progressive jackpot bonus game.
| Book of Atem: WowPot | |
|---|---|
| Supplier | Microgaming (All41 Studios) |
| Release Date | 2020 |
| RTP | 96.45% |
| Bet Limits | $0.10 – $100 |
| Seed Amount | $50,000.00 |
| Jackpot Tiers | Four-tier jackpot |
| Winning Criteria | One of four jackpots can be triggered randomly |
| Average Drop Time | 3 weeks 2 days |
| Average Win | $271,941.00 |
Watch Book of Atem: WowPot Gameplay
Book of Atem: WowPot Additional TipsIn the base game, you will have symbols like the laying cards from 10 to A, awarding between 7.5x and 15x the total bet respectively when they land five times on a payline. While the playing cards are the low-paying icons of Book of Atem: WowPot, the high-valued symbols include a lotus flower, snake, falcon, and charming pharaoh.
The Book symbol will act both as a Wild and as a Scatter, replacing other symbols of the game and offering higher payouts when matched three or more times anywhere on the reels. The same Scatter combination will also award 10 Free Spins, with one special symbol being chosen to appear expanded on the reels. The Book Scatter may also randomly trigger the jackpot wheel, which is guaranteed to award one of four progressive jackpots.
Wheel of Wishes
You can enjoy a very rewarding gaming experience with this progressive slot by Microgaming. As you have already noticed, this software provider offers some of the biggest progressive jackpots, with Wheel of Wishes also being a slot title linked to the WowPot jackpot prize pool. The slot spins across a grid of five reels and three rows, with 10 paylines awarding wins for combinations of three or more matching symbols.
The game has a base mode and a power mode, with the first one allowing bets between $0.20 and $20 while the second mode boosts the bet range, making it between $2 and $200. While you will have the chance to land the progressive jackpot in both modes, higher bets improve the chance of triggering the jackpot bonus game. What is more, the Power Spin feature, which may trigger the jackpot prize, is automatically activated during the power mode.
| Wheel of Wishes | |
|---|---|
| Supplier | Microgaming |
| Release Date | 2020 |
| RTP | 93.34% |
| Bet Limits | $0.20 – $20 in base mode; $2 – $200 in power mode |
| Seed Amount | $50,000.00 |
| Jackpot Tiers | Four-tier jackpot |
| Winning Criteria | One of four jackpots is won when Jackpot Wheel appears |
| Average Drop Time | 3 weeks 2 days |
| Average Win | $271,941.00 |
Watch Wheel of Wishes Gameplay
Wheel of Wishes Additional TipsThe symbols of Wheel of Wishes include playing card suits, medallions, treasure chests, mysterious books, and a magical genie lamp. You can see that each symbol will have its respective payouts whenever it is matched three, four, or five times on a payline. The Wheel symbol will act as a Scatter, which can offer generous wins and may trigger the bonus feature of Wheel of Wishes. In addition to a Scatter, Wheel of Wishes also features a Wild symbol, which can substitute for other icons in the game, with the Scatter being the only exception.
The Power Spin feature can also be triggered in the base mode when two Scatter symbols land anywhere on the reels. This will prompt 3×3 symbols to appear on the middle three reels of the game, increasing the chance of landing more winning combinations or the Wheel symbol. When the Wheel appears fully in the middle three reels, the Wheel bonus games will be launched, guaranteeing players one of four progressive jackpots.
Divine Fortune
The next progressive slot we believe many players might enjoy is Divine Fortune by NetEnt. Launched in 2017, this ancient Greek-style game gives players the chance to win decent payouts in the base game or snag a generous progressive jackpot if they trigger one of the bonus features of Divine Fortune.
The video slot has five reels, with 20 paylines awarding wins for combinations of three or more identical symbols. The bet size players can choose for their spins ranges between $0.20 and $100 but the chance of landing the progressive jackpot does increase with the amount players wager per spin.
| Divine Fortune | |
|---|---|
| Supplier | NetEnt |
| Release Date | 2017 |
| RTP | 96.60% |
| Bet Limits | $0.20 – $100 |
| Seed Amount | N/A |
| Jackpot Tiers | Three-tier jackpot |
| Winning Criteria | One of three jackpots can be won during bonus feature |
| Average Drop Time | 5 days 19h |
| Average Win | $116,980.00 |
Watch Divine Fortune Gameplay
Divine Fortune Additional TipsThe symbols of Divine Fortune include low-value playing cards between J and A, paying between 60x and 80x the line bet when matched five times. Meanwhile, the high-value icons are represented by Medusa, the Minotaur, the Nemean Lion, and the Griffin, with Medusa being the highest-paying symbol, bringing 600x your bet per line for a five-of-a-kind combination.
Wild Pegasus will substitute for regular paying symbols, while Free Spins Scatters can award up to 12 free spins. Wild on Wild is another special function of the slot, turning regular Wilds into Expanded Wilds, which will move one position lower on consecutive spins, enabling more chances for potential wins. Re-spins will also appear after this bonus feature, making Divine Fortune extremely entertaining.
The progressive jackpot of Divine Fortune can be won through the Bonus Game of the slot. Depending on the number of rows covered in Bonus symbols at the end of the special segment, players can win either the Minor, Major, or Mega jackpot of the slot.
Absolootly Mad: Mega Moolah
With Microgaming’s Mega Moolah becoming a favorite title for players chasing progressive wins, the company has decided to expand the number of games linked to the Mega Moolah prize pool. That is why players have received the chance to play a cool game such as Absolootly Mad: Mega Moolah and compete for the same generous progressive jackpot, which has turned numerous players into millionaires.
The slot was developed for Microgaming’s franchise by the team of Triple Edge Studios. Inspired by the novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The colorful slot spreads across five reels, offering 243 different ways to land a win for three or more matching symbols. The least amount you can wager per spin is $0.20 while the maximum is capped at $50.
| Absolootly Mad: Mega Moolah | |
|---|---|
| Supplier | Microgaming (Triple Edge Studios) |
| Release Date | 2020 |
| RTP | 92.02% |
| Bet Limits | $0.20 – $50 |
| Seed Amount | $1,000,000.00 |
| Jackpot Tiers | Mega, Major, Minor, Mini |
| Winning Criteria | Randomly triggered |
| Average Drop Time | 8 weeks |
| Average Win | $6.1 million |
Watch Absolootly Mad: Mega Moolah Gameplay
Absolootly Mad: Mega Moolah Additional TipsThe low-paying symbols of the slot include playing card suits, with the highest-valued suit paying 2.4x your total bet when matched five times. The next symbols can be found at the Mad Hatter’s tea party, with a pocket watch, tea cups, butterflies, the March hare, and the Cheshire Cat representing the icons that will bring you higher payouts. The icon with the highest value is going to be the Mad Hatter himself, bringing players 10x their total bet when matched five times.
Absolootly Mad: Mega Moolah features rolling reels, which means that every win will force the winning symbols to disappear from the screen. This will allow symbols above them to take up the empty positions and possibly bring consecutive wins. Rolling reels will also allow an increase of the slot’s multiplier, with four or more consecutive rolls increasing the multiplier up to 5x. A Free Spin Scatter can trigger eight rounds of bonus spins, with the Rolling Reels feature being active.
Absolootly Mad: Mega Moolah features a Wild that can substitute for regular symbols in the game and help complete winning combinations. Whenever a Wild lands in the game, it is also collected in a pot of gold above the reels, with every Wild increasing the chance of randomly triggering the progressive jackpot wheel, which is guaranteed to award the Mini, Minor, Major, or Mega jackpot of the Mega Moolah series.
Leprechaun’s Luck
Those who believe in lucky charms will most likely appreciate Playtech’s slot Leprechaun’s Luck, which offers players the chance to sweep a generous progressive jackpot prize. The slot, which was originally released by Ash Gaming, spreads across five reels while winning formations can land on 20 fixed paylines. The design of the game is rather simple, inspired by the traditions of Irish luck.
While Leprechaun’s Luck offers its players the chance to win a generous progressive prize, the slot can also be very rewarding through its additional bonus features. When it comes to the size of your bets, you will be able to wager between $0.20 and $20 per spin. That said, it should be noted that increasing your stake can positively affect your chances of winning the jackpot.
| Leprechaun’s Luck | |
|---|---|
| Supplier | Ash Gaming (Playtech) |
| Release Date | 2012 |
| RTP | 88.10% |
| Bet Limits | $0.20 – $20 |
| Seed Amount | N/A |
| Jackpot Tiers | Single-tier jackpot |
| Winning Criteria | Progressive jackpot can be won during bonus feature |
| Average Drop Time | 33 weeks 18h |
| Average Win | ~$128,783 |
Watch Leprechaun’s Luck Gameplay
Leprechaun’s Luck Additional TipsIt should be noted that Leprechaun’s Luck is a slot offering a local progressive jackpot, which means it may offer a different jackpot prize at particular online casinos. That said, there are several casino brands, which give players the chance to become instant millionaires by landing the jackpot prize of the game.
While Leprechaun’s Luck has a rather low RTP, it is a high-volatility slot, which means players can potentially sweep higher payouts. Of course, big wins will not be that common but the special features, which include free spins, the Rainbow of Wealth game, or the Wishing Well bonus can be very generous and even grant the jackpot prize. With both the Rainbow of Wealth and the Wishing Well features allowing players to collect cash prizes, at the end of each feature, it is possible to randomly win the progressive jackpot of Leprechaun’s Luck.
Funky Fruits
The next progressive slot we offer to players is Funky Fruits by Playtech. Despite being rather simple, this progressive title can be very entertaining and rewarding. As the name of the game suggests, it has a fruity theme, with various delicious fruits appearing on the five reels of the slot. However, instead of having paylines or several ways to win, Funky Fruits offers payouts for clusters of five or more identical symbols on adjacent reels.
Depending on the number of symbols forming a cluster, different fruits will have ranging payouts. While there are no special symbols or bonus features, Funky Fruits offers a rather generous progressive prize that can be won thanks to the cherry symbol of the game. The game has a rather small bet range but that is because the bet size determines the percentage of the jackpot prize you can receive if you get extra lucky. The lowest amount you can bet is $1, while the maximum is $10.
| Funky Fruits | |
|---|---|
| Supplier | Playtech |
| Release Date | 2014 |
| RTP | 92.07% |
| Bet Limits | $1 – $10 |
| Seed Amount | N/A |
| Jackpot Tiers | Single-tier jackpot |
| Winning Criteria | Eight or more cherries forming a cluster award a progressive jackpot prize |
| Average Drop Time | 32 weeks 3 days |
| Average Win | ~$1,532,592 |
Watch Funky Fruits Gameplay
Funky Fruits Additional TipsThe fruity symbols of the game include a watermelon, plum, pineapple, orange, and lemon, with the highest-paying fruit being the lemon. The biggest payout for each fruit will be given on a cluster of 16 or more identical icons, with the lemon offering 5,000x your total bet. There is one more fruit, which we believe deserves special attention as it can grant the jackpot prize of Funky Fruits. The cherries can grant a payout of 50x, 500x, or 2,000x the total bet when they are matched five, six, or seven times respectively. When the same symbol appears eight or more times in a winning cluster, it will grant a progressive jackpot win.
Whether you land a combination of eight or more cherries, the jackpot prize that you will receive will be the same. The only thing that will affect the size of the progressive payout is the bet you have made. A $1 bet will guarantee you 10% of the jackpot pot while betting $2 or $5 will qualify you for 20% and 50% of the jackpot prize respectively. The full amount of the progressive jackpot can be won only if you wager $10 per spin.
Joker Millions
If you enjoy playing classic fruit slots, you can add an extra thrill to your gaming sessions by playing Joker Millions by Yggdrasil. While the design of the game is nothing unusual, with fruits spinning across five reels, the Joker icon gives players the chance to sweep a rather generous progressive prize.
Even without landing the jackpot win, players can enjoy a fruitful experience with the 25 paylines of Joker Millions. With several special features, those who play the slot have the potential to sweep extra payouts and even apply a multiplier to their profit. The least amount players can wager per spin is $0.25 while the maximum is $25.
| Joker Millions | |
|---|---|
| Supplier | Yggdrasil |
| Release Date | 2015 |
| RTP | 94.30% |
| Bet Limits | $0.25 – $25 |
| Seed Amount | N/A |
| Jackpot Tiers | Single-tier jackpot |
| Winning Criteria | 15 Jokers during bonus game award the progressive jackpot |
| Average Drop Time | 22 weeks 6 days |
| Average Win | ~$2,985,974 |
Watch Joker Millions Gameplay
Joker Millions Additional TipsThe symbols of Joker Millions include lemons, oranges, plums, cherries, watermelons, gold bells, and red 7s. The lowest-paying symbol will be the lemon, awarding 20x the bet per line for five of a kind. The highest-paying symbol is the red 7, which can bring you 300x your bet per line when matched five times across a payline. There are no Wilds, but the Joker icon will act as the Scatter, which can trigger the Jackpot Spin feature of the slot.
Whenever symbols appear in a winning combination, they will freeze in their position, triggering a respin of the reels. If the same symbol appears on another reel, even if it is not adjacent to the ones which triggered the feature, the reels will respin again. The respins continue until there are no more identical symbols on the reels, with players receiving the corresponding payouts for the number of winning combinations they have landed. If the same symbol covers reels entirely, this will trigger the Column Multiplier function of Joker Millions. The multipliers that can be applied to wins carry values of 2x, 3x, 4x, and 5x.
Probably the most important special feature of this slot is the Jackpot Spin game, which is triggered whenever five Jokers appear on all reels of the slot. When this combination appears on the slot’s grid, the Jokers will instantly reveal Mystery Wins and then will trigger the Jackpot Spin game. This feature continues until there are new JAckpot symbols appearing on the screen, with each symbol carrying a random prize, which can go as high as 1,000 coins. If the entire grid gets covered in 15 Jokers, players will win the jackpot prize of Joker Millions.
Age of the Gods
When we are covering Playtech’s progressive jackpots, we cannot miss the slots from the Age of the Gods series. The software developer has already added quite a few slots and even a few table games to its series, with numerous players contributing to the constant increase of the jackpot. Age of the Gods is the original slot from the series, offering players the chance to land either the Power, Extra Power, Super Power, or Ultimate Power jackpot.
The slot features various Greek deities, spinning across five reels and granting payouts for landing in matching combinations on 20 paylines. In addition to the opportunity to land a progressive jackpot, the slot allows players to enjoy multiple wins by triggering any of the other bonus features of Age of the Gods. The minimum amount you can wager per spin is $0.20 and the maximum is capped at $40. It should be noted, however, that higher bets increase the chance of landing a progressive jackpot payout.
| Age of the Gods | |
|---|---|
| Supplier | Playtech |
| Release Date | 2016 |
| RTP | 95.02% |
| Bet Limits | $0.20 – $40 |
| Seed Amount | $100,000.00 |
| Jackpot Tiers | Power, Extra Power, Super Power, and Ultimate Power |
| Winning Criteria | 15 Jokers during bonus game award the progressive jackpot |
| Average Drop Time | 6 weeks 2 days |
| Average Win | ~$553,791 |
Watch Age of the Gods Gameplay
Age of the Gods Additional TipsThe low-paying icons of Age of the Gods include playing cards like Q, K, and A as well as an ancient Greek helmet. The playing cards will pay 150x your line bet when matched five times, while the helmet will pay 250x the line bet for a five-of-a-kind combination. The mid-range symbols include Hades and Aphrodite, with both of them paying 300x your bet per line when matched five times.
The high-paying symbols include the deities Hercules, Poseidon, Zeus, and Athena, with the latter being the most valuable symbol, paying 1,000x your single-line bet when matched five times on a payline. There is also a special payout of 200x your line bet when all gods except for Hades form a winning combination across the five reels. The four highest-paying deities will also represent the four different Free Games modes you might enjoy. This bonus segment of Age of the Gods is triggered when the Age of the Gods logo appears three or more times anywhere on the reels.
The slot also features a Wild, which can substitute for all symbols but the Scatter triggering the bonus game. Speaking of special features, we should explain how the progressive jackpot of Age of the Gods can be won. The jackpot feature can be triggered randomly on any spin, even a losing one. It will launch a bonus game, with 20 golden coins hiding the names of the four progressive jackpots. Players must pick from the coins until they reveal the same jackpot three times. The progressive prize which will be awarded will correspond to the jackpot which was first revealed three times during the bonus feature.
Aztec’s Millions
This progressive slot by Realtime Gaming (RTG) is a rather interesting jackpot title as it offers a rather generous progressive win, with the seed starting at $1,000,000 when the jackpot is won by a lucky player. However, for many years, players used to believe there was no point in playing the slot as it would not release the big prize for several years. In 2021, the major prize, which was exceeding $4 million at that time was finally won, ensuring players there is actually a chance to sweep the jackpot pot of Aztec’s Millions.
The slot spreads across five reels, with symbols of the game including Aztec idols, amulets, Aztec king, and Aztec queen. The game has 25 fixed paylines, with most symbols awarding a payout whenever matched three or more times on a winning line. That said, several high-paying icons can grant a payout even when landing only two times on a payline while the queen has the ability to offer a cash reward even for a single symbol standing at the beginning of a winning line. As for the bet size, players will have no choice as the game has an obligatory bet per line of $0.20, making the total bet on every spin $5.
| Aztec’s Millions | |
|---|---|
| Supplier | RTG |
| Release Date | 2009 |
| RTP | 95.00% |
| Bet Limits | $5 per spin |
| Seed Amount | $1 million |
| Jackpot Tiers | Single-tier jackpot |
| Winning Criteria | Jackpot is won when five Aztec’s Millions symbols land on a payline |
| Average Drop Time | 4 years 20 weeks |
| Average Win | $2,287,856.00 |
Watch Aztec’s Millions Gameplay
Aztec’s Millions Additional TipsThe base game will feature several playing-card symbols, which will represent the low-value icons of the slot. The symbols ranging between 9 and A will pay out between 100x and 200x your line bet when matched five times. The mid-range symbols bringing 500x your bet per line when matched five times include an amulet and a bracelet. The next symbols in the paytable include a bird mask, a leopard, and the Aztec queen, with all three of them paying even for a combination of two-of-a-kind. The queen symbol will be extra generous, paying 2x your bet per line when appearing only once on a payline, while her top payout for five matches will be 5,000 the line bet.
The Aztec King is the Wild symbol, which can substitute for regular paying symbols and help players complete winning lines. Meanwhile, the Aztec idol will act as a Scatter, awarding special wins when matched three or more times anywhere on the reels. Three or more idols will also trigger the Free Spins feature of Aztec’s Millions.
The last special symbol to be on the lookout for is the Aztec’s Millions logo, which may appear on all five reels, on any of the 25 paylines. If that happens, congratulations, you have won the progressive jackpot of Aztec’s Millions.
A Night With Cleo
Another very interesting progressive slot solution comes from Rival Gaming’s portfolio. A Night With Cleo gives players the chance to explore this Egyptian-themed slot and stack up generous wins as they match symbols across 20 paylines. While the progressive prize of this slot is not as big as competitors’ offerings, A Night With Cleo typically awards the jackpot win every 3 days or so. That makes the slot preferred by many players as the game seeds at $2,500, which is still a very generous amount.
The five reels of the game award wins for matching three or more identical symbols. Meanwhile, the Free Spins and Gamble features of A Night With Cleo may lead to bountiful wins even without the jackpot prize. The least amount you can bet per spin is $0.20 and the maximum is capped at $200. Do keep in mind that increasing your bet might improve your chances of winning the jackpot.
| A Night With Cleo | |
|---|---|
| Supplier | Rival Gaming |
| Release Date | 2017 |
| RTP | 92.50% |
| Bet Limits | $0.20 – $200 |
| Seed Amount | $2,500.00 |
| Jackpot Tiers | Single-tier jackpot |
| Winning Criteria | Jackpot is triggered randomly |
| Average Drop Time | 3 days 4 hours |
| Average Win | $104,061.00 |
Watch A Night With Cleo Gameplay
A Night With Cleo Additional TipsThe low-paying symbols of A Night With Cleo are nothing unusual as they include the playing cards between 9 and A, which will pay between 100x and 150x the bet per line when landing five times on a payline. The high-paying symbols include golden jewels, with the Eye of Horus ornament being the most valuable icon, bringing players 500x their bet per line for five-of-a-kind. The Wild symbol will help players complete winning lines as it can substitute for regular symbols in the game.
Landing three or more Scatters in the base game will award 15 free spins, with a 3x multiplier applied on all wins during bonus spins. The only exception will be a win made out of five Wilds. The free spin feature can be retriggered any time three or more Scatters appear, with the maximum number of bonus spins per single trigger of the feature being 180 spins.
Every time you land a win in the base game, you will also have the chance to use the Gamble Feature and double the amount of your profit. Be careful, as you need to choose the correct flower to increase your win and enjoy your doubled profit or continue gambling its amount. A wrong guess at any point of the Gamble Feature will cost all of your wagered wins.
As for the jackpot prize of A Night With Cleo, there is not much to say. There is no combination or bonus game, with all you need to win the major prize is luck. The progressive jackpot of the game is triggered randomly and can be won on any spin.
Choosing a Casino to Play Progressives
Almost all online and land-based casinos offer their customers attractive progressive jackpots. At most sites, you will find at least 5 different progressive slots, while at some casinos, you can choose from over 30 titles by different providers. There is a great variety of progressives that cater to all types of players and if you are looking for a good casino where you can play for the jackpot, stick to sites with larger and more diverse collections.
Of course, players who are new to online gambling or so far, have played at a limited number of gambling sites, would want a place which has an impeccable reputation. Safety and reliability are extremely important, especially when it comes to betting on progressive games – players tend to make larger deposits and bets that are higher than usual. In addition, you will need a trustworthy casino that will pay out the jackpot as quickly as possible no matter how huge it is. Speaking of jackpot payouts, players should also check whether the casino has a policy of limiting all withdrawals or there is an exception to the max cashout limit when a progressive jackpot is won.
Progressive Jackpot Withdrawal
Winning the jackpot is undoubtedly an incredible experience. For most players, this is an unforgettable moment even if the amount they win is only $100. But it is the huge jackpot of several million that will blow your mind and change your life forever. It is an overwhelming experience for casinos, too. Often, they cannot afford to pay out such huge amounts of money. That is why jackpots, especially in online casinos, are usually paid out by the game developers.
The more important aspect of jackpot withdrawals, however, is how your winnings are paid. Many of the large brick-and-mortar casinos give players a choice – they can collect the entire amount of the prize at once, or they can receive annuities over the course of 10 or 20 years. The majority of online casinos, if not all, have fixed cashout limits that are based on a weekly or a monthly basis. In other words, you cannot withdraw more than $5,000 or $10,000 per week, for instance. And while this is not a problem with little wins, it certainly becomes an issue when talking about jackpot withdrawals.
The reality is that retrieving a huge win from an online casino may take months and even years if the gambling operator maintains a strict withdrawal policy. Fortunately for jackpot hunters, there are many casinos that do make an exception to this rule. They will pay you out in full if it is a progressive jackpot win.
Bet Sizes
There are not many strategies or systems you can use to improve your winning chances in progressive slots. One of the most important things, however, is to check what amount of money you need to bet in order to qualify for the jackpot. Many progressives allow you to play for the big prize only when placing max bets or at least the maximum amount of coins. Different games have different rules, so before putting your money in a particular slot, you should check its pay table and rules.
For instance, some jackpots can be unlocked only when playing with max bets. But there are others which can be won during a randomly activated bonus game. Of course, the bet size is essential, as it may decide whether you will end your play session as a millionaire or will lose every penny you have. The best chance of winning the jackpot is if you are betting on all pay lines and in most cases, the maximum number of coins.
What you can do to continue playing for longer without wagering your entire budget in 5 minutes is play with low-value coins. Another good strategy is to change the currency you play with if the jackpot remains the same amount when converted between different currencies. For instance, you can bet $10 per spin and in Euro, the bet size that will qualify for the jackpot will still be €10. However, while the jackpot in US dollars is $1,000, in Euro it will be €700. This means that a bet in US dollars has a lower real value, yet placing it, you can win the same jackpot offered to Euro players.
The Biggest Progressive Jackpots Won
The highest progressive jackpot payout ever recorded is $39.7 million. It was hit in the Excalibur Casino in Las Vegas on one of the most famous slot games, IGT’s Megabucks. Until recently, Megabucks was available only as a physical slot machine across numerous gambling facilities around the world but IGT has also added it to its portfolio of online games. Online slots, on the other hand, still have not reached such high payouts but they are quickly gaining popularity and making more and more players instantly rich.
Mega Moolah, for instance, is known for the big payouts given quite regularly to players from all over the world. In 2015, the game often called “The Millionaire Maker”, gave a British army soldier £13,213,838.68. This happened at Betway and the soldier, J. Heywood, managed to get the jackpot by placing £0.25 bets. In fact, Mega Moolah has made a lot of people rich – in 2016, Canadian Marcus Goodwin took home CA$11,633,898, while just a few months before that, a Maori man in New Zealand pocketed NZ$10,144,395.82.
Another mind-blowing payout was the unexpected win of €17,861,813 in January 2013 at Paf Casino. The lucky winner was an anonymous Finnish man who got the right combination of symbols while playing NetEnt’s Mega Fortune. Previously, in 2011, that same game paid out €11,736,228 to a Norwegian student who was trying his luck with free spins. Other slots from NetEnt have also been quite generous – on November 23, 2012, another unnamed Finn became richer by exactly €8,636,041.54 while playing Arabian Nights. One of the slots by the same developer that is known to be won regularly is Hall of Gods. The biggest payout registered from it is €7,820,888, but players are hitting the jackpot approximately twice a year.
The highest mobile jackpot payouts have been at Microgaming’s Mega Moolah slot. On August 28, 2016, a woman was playing the popular game from her mobile phone and managed to hit the jackpot taking €7,968,311.26. At the time, this was the biggest mobile win ever recorded. But this changed in less than a year when in April 2017, a mobile player at Tipico Casino became an instant millionaire claiming the incredible sum of €8,012,153.35.
Progressive Slots FAQ
What Is the Difference between a Jackpot and a Progressive Jackpot?
The typical jackpot in many casino games is a fixed amount which can be won by hitting the rarest and highest paying combination, such is the case with slots and video poker games. Progressive jackpots, on the other hand, come with an easily recognizable jackpot meter. These jackpots are pools of money “fed” by a portion of all bets placed in certain networked games. Some progressives are not linked with the games in other casinos, but the accumulation of the jackpot in them works the same way. As a result of the constant betting on these games, the money pot rises until the jackpot is won. In some cases, it can reach millions of dollars, but usually, progressive jackpots are in the 6-figure range.
Is It Possible to Say When You Can Win a Jackpot?
No. Predicting when a progressive slot will pay out the huge jackpot is impossible because these games are random. They have no pattern or a system that determines when they are “due”. Slot machines in land-based casinos and online slots are governed by complex computer software called Random Number Generator. The symbols landing on the reels when you push the Spin button are nothing more than graphical representations of what has already been determined by the random numbers generated by this piece of technology.
How Much Will I Spend on Average Playing Progressives?
The amount of funds placed as bets on progressive slots would depend on the player. Most experts recommend that if you are playing for the jackpot, it is best to bet maximum coins, as this is usually a requirement in order to qualify for a jackpot win. However, this is not the case with many of the popular progressives right now. In some of them, you do not need to qualify and the bonus jackpot round is triggered randomly. In others, you can bet $5 per spin and still qualify for the jackpot game – these are known as penny slots and they are much more accessible than the average progressive game.
How Can I Withdraw When I Win the Jackpot?
Cashing out after winning a big jackpot is different for land-based and online casinos. Traditional establishments in Las Vegas, for example, pay out your winnings at once, on the spot, with one exception – really huge jackpots are paid out in annuities and you can receive you multi-million prize over the course of 25 years. Online, you will be limited to withdrawing $2,000-$5,000 per week or $15,000 per month, for instance. Most web-based gambling operators have specific jackpot rules in place and they can allow you to cash out the entire sum all at once or over the course of several months.
Progressive Slots Glossary
Bankroll
Bankroll is the amount of money a player has in his or her gambling balance. This is the money you play with and it is essential to manage it properly. Most experts recommend putting daily limits on betting in order to maintain your bankroll. This amount of play money will also determine what games you will play and how you will play them – a higher bankroll allows you to play more spins on progressive jackpot slots or to sit at a high stakes poker table.
Bonus Round
In progressive slots, bonus rounds or bonus games are usually played for winning the jackpot. Bonus rounds are activated during normal play in different ways. They can be triggered by hitting three or more Scatter symbols or special Bonus symbols, or they can be triggered randomly. Each slot has a different bonus round which is typically on the theme of the game and can include multi-level arcade games, Pick Me games, matching symbols games, and others.
Coin Size
This is the value of the basic bet on a single spin and refers to the denomination the player has chosen – for instance, $0.01, $0.10, $0.25, $0.50, etc. When placing bets on progressive slots, it is always best to play with maximum bets – or to choose the max coin size ($5 or $10), the max number of coins per line (usually up to 10), and the number of active pay lines.
Fixed Jackpot
Most slots have fixed or static jackpots, which means that the highest payout in these games will remain the same no matter how many players are betting on them.
Flat-Top Slots
Flat-top slots are the basic, regular slots which, instead of progressive jackpots, offer fixed top payouts.
Jackpot Meter
The jackpot meter in a progressive game displays how quickly a progressive jackpot is rising. In slot machines across land-based casinos, this meter is placed on top of the game and attracts players with large numbers and bright lights. In online slots, the jackpot meter can be anywhere.
Loose Slots
Loose slots are those slots that have a higher return percentages and respectively, lower house edge. They are not easily recognized, however, because very few casinos have made the RTP percentages public. Slots that tend to return less in the long term are often called “tight”.
Max Bet
The maximum bet, or max bet for short, is the largest amount of money a player can bet per spin. By choosing it, you have a chance to play for the highest payout and this is why most slot games have a Max Bet button.
Pay Line
In slots, pay lines are the positions on the reels where matching symbols should land in order to collect a payout. In the past, slot machines had a single pay line which ran horizontally across the middle of the reels. Modern video slots, including many progressives, have multiple lines (up to 100) which come in shapes such as zig zags, diagonals, Vs, and many others. In order to increase their chances of hitting the jackpot, players should try to bet on all pay lines available.
Pay Table
Every slot game has its specific pay table – a chart which contains information about all the pay lines in a game and the respective payouts for each combo. It also displays all special symbols and what they do, and most importantly, whether the game has a separate bonus round where the jackpot can be won.
Progressive Slots
Progressive slots are those games which come with progressive jackpots – combined pots where the money comes from all bets placed on the game. Usually, these slots are linked in large networks, which allows the jackpots to rise extremely quickly.
Return Percentage
The return or payback percentage (RTP) of a casino game shows what portion of your total bet you can win back in the long term. Some games such as blackjack offer high returns if they are played with a perfect strategy. Slots, on the other hand, are games of luck, so no strategy can increase their return percentages and they usually range between 88% and 97%. The expected return for progressives is even lower.
Seed
This is the preset amount of money progressive jackpots start from. This level varies significantly across different games and different software providers, as they are the ones that provide these initial funds for the combined pot of the progressive jackpot. Once a player hits the big prize, the jackpot resets to this basic level. The seed value can be $100, $1,000, or $1,000,000 and it is usually one of the contributing factors to the popularity of a particular game – if the jackpot started from $15, no one would want to place bets on it, knowing the tiny odds of winning.