Wide Area Progressive Jackpot Slots

If you have ever seen an advertisement for a casino that had huge amounts (often in the millions) offered as top payouts you have probably seen games with a progressive jackpot. Keep reading to learn what a progressive jackpot is, how they work, different types of progressives, and where you can find them.

1. Vegas Progressive Jackpots
2. Wide Area Progressive Jackpot Slots No Deposit
3. Wide Area Progressive Jackpot Slots Jackpot
4. Winning Slot Jackpots Videos
5. Wide Area Progressive Jackpot Slots Vegas World
6. Progressive Slot Machine

What Are Progressive Jackpots?

Progressive jackpots are amounts offered as the top payouts for particular casino games that continue climbing until a player wins. They are available on a wide range of games, but the most common ones are tied to slot machines.

They tend to run from thousands of dollars all the way up to millions of dollars. Progressive jackpot games are available at online casinos as well as in land-based casinos.

Most progressive jackpot games require maximum wagers to be eligible for the jackpot amount. So if you hit whatever the required combination or hand is to win the progressive but haven’t wagered the correct amount you won’t win the progressive.

This would have to be one of the absolute worst feelings in the world so make sure you both understand the minimum wagering requirements to be eligible for the progressive and are always betting at that level or higher when you play on a progressive game.

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The most common example of this is a video poker game with a progressive jackpot. On most machines, you have to wager five coins to unlock the top payouts. So if you are playing a quarter video poker machine the total bet at five coins would be $1.25 per hand.

If you bet less than this and hit the top paying hand you will only win the amount listed for your number of coins, not the progressive jackpot. If you aren’t comfortable betting as much, you should play for a lower amount per coin.

You may be able to play the same video poker game in a nickel machine, making your bet .25 for a five-coin wager. Many slot machines have the same ability to play for a lower amount per line.

• First on the list is IGT Interactive's Megabucks. The first wide-area progressive machine.
• The first progressive jackpot slot launched in March 1986 and was created by International Game Technology is known as IGT. Megabucks video slot featured a progressive jackpot that differed from other jackpots in the sense that instead of offering a fixed jackpot prize, its jackpot was linked and contributed to by a percentage of players wager.

How Progressive Jackpots Work

Progressive jackpots build over time until a player wins them, then they reset to a predetermined level and start building again. The way they build is by taking a percentage of every bet made on the game the progressive jackpot is associated with and adding it to the jackpot amount.

Here’s a fictitious example so you can see exactly how a progressive jackpot works. The example uses numbers that are easy to compute for the purpose of this page. These numbers are not necessarily representative of a real-life progressive game but are an accurate representation of the mechanics.

We’ll use a slot machine with an attached progressive jackpot as an example. The slot machine takes 10% of every wager and places it in the progressive jackpot amount. After the jackpot is won the amount is reset to $100,000. The reset amount is generally accumulated from the contributions to the overall progressive jackpot.

In this example, 1% is used to fund the next reset amount and 9% goes straight to the progressive amount until $100,000 is accumulated in the reset account. Once the $100,000 is accumulated the entire 10% is used for the climbing jackpot. Another way this can be handled is the casino or software provider, whoever is running the progressive, fronts the $100,000 and the 10% goes toward that until it is taken care of.

Then the progressive will continue growing. There are a few other ways the reset amount can be handled, but the important thing to know is the seed amount is taken from the wagers on the game just like the progressive amount.

Continuing with our example, you are playing for a total cost per spin of $2.50. In this case .25 of each spin is contributed to the progressive jackpot amount and $2.25 is handled just like it is on a non-progressive machine. The other pay outs and the profit from the machine are taken from this second amount.

A common misunderstanding is the belief that the casinos are taking a huge cut of the progressive jackpots. The casinos tend to make more money on large progressive jackpot machines, but not because they are getting a cut of the jackpot. Generally, they pay out 100% of the jackpot between the jackpot amount and the reset amount.

The reason they can make more profit on the largest progressive jackpot games is because of the extra players who are trying to hit the big win. The media coverage picks up when jackpots get high and it increases the number of players. The additional profit comes from the second amount ($2.25) in our example.

For example, if the machine in our example is set to pay out 90% over time, the casino will make 22.5 (twenty two and a half) cents per bet. So here is the complete breakdown of a $2.50 wager on the slot machine in question.

What are the Differences Between a Local and Wide Area Progressive Jackpot

From a player’s perspective, there really isn’t a big difference between a local progressive jackpot and a wide area progressive jackpot. A wide area progressive jackpot is also sometimes called a linked jackpot and some progressives are called a bank. The wide area jackpot tends to build faster because there are more players, but the mechanics of how the jackpots build are the same.

A wide area progressive jackpot is one shared across games, usually slot machines, across a range of properties. For example, you might find the same progressive slot machine games in numerous land-based casinos or in online casinos running the same software platform. If they are part of a wide area progressive they each feed into the same jackpot and payout from the same jackpot pool.

When there are hundreds or even thousands of players playing the same machines at the same time the progressive amount is bound to go up faster than local progressives.

A local progressive jackpot is one that is usually tied to a single game. An example that many players have seen of a local progressive is a progressive game of Caribbean Stud poker. The progressive is usually only tied to the individual game or group of the particular games at the particular casino.

In other words, if the casino has three tables offering Caribbean Stud, all three will more than likely share the same progressive, but no games outside of them will contribute. Note that the three games do not have to share the same jackpot. They can have three separate progressive jackpots.

You will also run into a bank of slot machines in land-based casinos that share a progressive jackpot. These machines don’t share a jackpot with any slots not included in the bank of machines.

If you are wondering where the line is drawn between local and wide area progressive games, in my mind if the game is linked to games offered at other casinos, either land-based or online, it is a wide area. If it is tied to a single game or a group of games in the same casino it is a local progressive.

Of course, it does go back to the first part of this section in the fact it doesn’t really matter for players. All that matters is how big the jackpot is and what you have to do to qualify for it.

What Types of Games Can Have Progressive Jackpots?

The most common types of games that have progressive jackpots are slot machines. While the slots that are most likely to have progressives are the newer video slots with multiple pay lines, often with bonus rounds and other features, progressives can be found on all types of machines.

I’ve seen progressives on just about any type of slot machines that you can think of, including three reel machines. I have also seen progressive jackpots tied to video poker machines and table games.

Though it really goes beyond the scope of this page, when you consider playing a video poker game with a progressive jackpot compare the paytable of the progressive machine and a non-progressive one. The progressive video poker game is almost always a worse paytable than the non-progressive one.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t play the progressive machine, because sometimes the progressive amount will get high enough that it is actually a profitable game to play.

An actual example of this that I have seen many times is Jacks or Better. The best Jacks or Better machines are called 9 / 6 machines, offering 9 coin payouts for a full house and 6 coin payouts for a flush. The progressive jacks or better games tend to only pay 8 coins for a full house and 5 coins for a flush.

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Common table games with progressive jackpots include Caribbean Stud Poker, roulette and Let it Ride. Theoretically, just about any table game can be tied to a progressive jackpot. Most of the ones that have progressives have them tied to a side bet.

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A common example is a $1 side bet. It’s up to each player whether he or she places the progressive jackpot side bet. I have even seen more than one table game tied to the same progressive jackpot.

For example, a casino could have their Caribbean Stud and Let it Ride progressives together. This can create higher jackpots faster as more people are contributing to the jackpots.

Are There Progressive Jackpots Online and Off?

You’ll find great progressive jackpot games both online and at land-based casinos. Anything the casinos can do to get more people to play they will usually do and huge progressive jackpots help get players in the door or in the virtual door.

So as long as progressive jackpots continue helping the casino make money you will continue to find them at all different kinds of casinos.

Popular Progressive Jackpot Games

Here is a table with some of the most popular progressive jackpot games both online and off. The amounts continue to climb and reset, so the popularity of these games goes up and down with the amount of the top payouts.

These are just a few of the hundreds of possible progressive jackpots so if you don’t see any you like, just take a quick look around at your favorite casino. You are sure to find plenty of other options.

Should I Play Progressive Jackpot Games?

This is a question that only you can answer. There are progressive jackpots that are life changing amounts, but the odds of ever winning one are so high that millions of players will never hit one in their life. But many players view all of their gambling as entertainment expense and don’t really count on winning anything in the long run.

If you have the money to play with and can view your gambling as an entertainment expense, then, by all means, try to hit a big progressive jackpot. As a side note, there is nothing wrong with either gambling as an entertainment expense or gambling while trying to find an advantage against the casino. I am not judging either way, just covering as much of the subject as I can.

Many casual casino players will play a few casino games instead of going out to eat or taking in a movie. If you were going to spend a couple hundred on a night out, why not use it instead to take your chances at your favorite slot machine or table game? Even if you play the games with the highest house edge you will occasionally leave a winner.

You can also find progressive jackpots that get so high that they can be played with a statistical edge over the casinos in the long run. I mentioned this when discussing video poker above and it is an in-depth topic that can’t be covered in full here, but it is possible and when you find these situations on a game you enjoy you should take advantage of them and play.

Progressive slots Jackpot – standalone:

Standalone progressive Jackpots are Jackpots that sit on only one machine. Meaning that the Jackpot can only be won on the Slot Machine that sits under it. These Jackpots are funded by the play going through the machine (usually 1 – 5% depending on the game) so this means that a percentage of the money returned to the player is in the Jackpot.

Progressive Jackpots have a maximum limit but can sit on that limit until it is won. The size of the “ceiling” and “start up” value differ from game to game.

Ceiling value:

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The limit the Jackpot can reach usually Jackpots are won before this is reached but they have also been known to sit on ceilings for extended periods of time which drives much more intense play on the machines.

Start-up value:

This is the starting value of the Jackpot. This is the minimum amount the Jackpot starts at. A Casino does not start to make money until the startup value is exceeded 101% or the previous ceiling was reached. This is where they make the majority of their money as hungry players frantically play the game to score the Jackpot.

How to hit the Jackpot on Slot Machines

hitting jackpot on slot machine is not as simple as just being lucky. Many slot players want to to know how to make a slot machine hit jackpot. Before you play any kind of Slot machine jackpot you need to understand the difference between the types of jackpots available.

Many modern games such as the “Hold and Spin” style which has become popular center the majority of return and game math around the Jackpot Prizes of varies levels. A great example of this are the Lightning Slot Games and the Dragon Slot Games. The “hold and spin” feature is merely a chance to win the Jackpot. There is nothing wrong with these games as almost all the return sits in these features. Both the base and bonus spins are essentially garbage.

In games such as this the Jackpots are far more frequent and the more you bet the more chance you have to win or to score larger prize values.

Progressive Slots, linked Jackpots (in house):

Linked progressive Jackpots follow the same theory as standalone progressive slots. The main difference is that the Jackpot sits over many machines in the same venue. These jackpots are usually much higher as multiple machines feed a bigger pool. In house links are usually operated by the Casino and feature a collection of machines under the link. The slots under an in-house link.

Casino operators often do this the lift the performance of poorer performing games, extend their life-span on their floor or to add a point of difference to their Casino offering.

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The RTP% of each game can be lowered to accommodate the return provided by the Jackpot or the Casino Operator could take a small hit on the bottom line effectively raising the RTP% of the game. So for example if the machine contributes 1% a 93% slot could become a 94% slot or a 92% slot.

If you follow my strategy the operator taking a hit actually works out better for you. So it might be worth finding out.

linked Jackpots (wide area):

Similar to the in house wide area jackpots come packaged with the series of slot machines sold.
These are usually the same type of slot machine or the same series of slots from the same manufacturer Lightning and Dragon slot games are again a great example of this. They have a “Linked” Jackpot level which runs across all of those machines in the Casino or across multiple casinos.

The more of these machines that the Casino Has or are on the network the more often that top level will be won and the faster the Jackpot will increase. As these games have the levels factored in the RTP% is affected.

Mixed Progressive Slot and Linked Slot:

Many modern slots now feature both standalone progressive and linked jackpot amounts. This is often shown as multiple Jackpot levels with smaller standalone prizes and much bigger Jackpot prizes to be won. Once more main issue here is that this can start to really eat into the RTP% with much of the player return sitting in Jackpot bonuses.

The more levels of Jackpot the Game has the more of your return is split between those elements and this can really dampen the game.

Deterministic Jackpot (must hit Jackpot):

Found only in some jurisdictions and not quite as common – Deterministic Jackpots are in my opinion the main type you should keep an eye out for when playing in a bricks and motor casino.

While progressives have a ceiling or limit amount that they can reach, the Jackpot can sit at the limit for for an indefinite period of time. A deterministic Jackpot on the other hand MUST PAY OUT AT IT’S CEILING – this means that the Jackpot is guaranteed to go off at or before a specific amount. So if you find a jackpot like this sitting high at or near its limit – than it really is worth a shot.

Of course this can create absolute pandemonium on the floor and the closer it gets the harder you will find it to get on a machine. Of course playing a Jackpot Online has it’s advantages you can get on a high-jackpot anytime you want and can do so in your pajamas. See the end of this post for some suggestions.

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In the case of in-game Jackpot Features an increased betting method is used. Meaning the more you bet the more Jackpot trigger symbols appear this will increase the chances of hitting the Jackpot. This is an obvious design choice to increase the average player bet and ultimately drive more revenue for the casino.

These features will also eat into your bank roll much more quickly. So before playing any slot with a Jackpot Bonus have a look in the game rules if a higher bet means a higher chance to hit the jackpot. Jackpots slot wins are fairly frequent when the ceiling is much lower.

Playing online for example – the standalone is built into the game RTP% and there is a strong call to action to bet more to win the progressive bonus as per the example below.

So… Should you play MAX BET to win?

In short… Yes. Progressive Jackpot Game such as Gunslinger above or the Lightning slots and Dragon slots means both higher prizes and a bigger chance to win when you increase your bet. You should however ensure that you can afford to play at this level. Quite often you can scale the investment so pick a bet level you are comfortable with.

When should you play a Jackpot Slot?

Simple… when they are high. Sounds logical and yes it is but it also helps to have some background information. Basically you need to know how high the Jackpot has reached previously and what the limit is.

In some cases it might help to know if the Jackpot even has a ceiling. But if a Jackpot that can reach a multi-million dollar limit and it is currently sitting at that number than you would be crazy not to give it a go. Even at a lower bet with all lines, it’s worth a try and the odds are still probably better than winning the lottery.

how often does a slot machine hit jackpot

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This is difficult to know as it all depends on how much turnover and play is going through the slots linked to it and where the Jackpot level is currently sitting. Generally Jackpot odds are worse at the startup value than they are at the limit value.

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Best thing to do is ask someone who works at the casino or venue, many of the employees have records on recent jackpot hits. You can find out at how much and how recently the Jackpot was won and work out an average hit range. Big jackpots are always worth having a play for so as long as the Jackpot is at a ceiling why not.

Jackpots work a lot like the lottery as the pool increases so does the number of tickets people buy. Every time you press the spin/play button you are buying a ticket, the more tickets you buy the bigger chance you have to win.

I would suggest however that if you are playing for a jackpot you keep this playing activity separate from your regular play activity The same goes online as many online casinos feature games linked to Jackpots below are some of the best online casinos for slot jackpots.

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The following Casino’s all have a wide variety of games with some great Jackpot offerings. From small and frequent Jackpots to HUGE jackpot prizes. All legitimate safe Online Casinos operating in a number of currency and payment options.