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Stand-alone and linked progressives
There are basically two types of progressive slots at land-based casinos across the US:
Below are 5 tips that will help you with finding loose slot machines to hit a jackpot. The first tip that will help you to increase your chances of hitting a jackpot is to time the machines. If you are in a land based casino playing the slots then you can simply sit near the slot machine you are timing and watch the results. $5,844 – 1 dollar Double Jackpot Lions Share Grand Wheel, August 14. $20,602 – 1 cent Lightning Link-Moon Race, August 13. $16,000 – 2 dollar Game King Poker, August 13. $9,863 – 1 cent Invaders More Moolah, August 13. $9,161 – 25 cent Pot O’ Gold, August 13. $8,572 – 1 dollar Triple Jackpot Gems, August 13.
- Stand-alone progressives
- Linked progressives
Stand-alone progressives are single slot machines with a progressive jackpot.
A piece of every dollar put in the machine goes into a progressive jackpot that is contained on that machine. That means only money put in that specific machine goes into that jackpot and only someone playing on that machine can win that jackpot.
Linked progressives are different in that they have a jackpot linked from among multiple machines.
There are area linked progressives that feature multiple slot machines over a defined area feeding into the same single progressive jackpot. The area might include the same slots or group of slots in a single casino or group of casinos.
A piece of every dollar put into these slots goes into a single progressive jackpot that all these slots link to. That means only money put in these slots goes into that jackpot, and only someone playing one of these slots can win it.
Then, there are network-wide linked progressives that feature multiple slot machines over a wide network feeding into the same single progressive jackpot. Network-wide progressives offer the biggest progressive jackpots around.
The network will include the same slots or group of slots at a group of casinos in the same state, group of states or all across the country.
Once again, a piece of every dollar put into these slots goes into a single progressive jackpot. However, more slots over a wider network means more players, more dollars and bigger jackpots. Of course, the same basic jackpot principles apply, meaning only someone playing one of the slots in the network can win the jackpot.
Online stand alone and linked progressives
You’ll also find the stand-alone and linked progressive jackpot slots at online casinos across the US.
Stand-alone online progressives are single online slot games with a progressive jackpot. As with land-based slots, only money that goes into the online slot goes toward the jackpot, and only someone playing that slot can win it.
Linked online progressives feature multiple slots at a single online casino or group of online casinos feeding into the same progressive jackpot. Where the law allows and interstate agreements are in place, these online casinos may even be in different states all feeding into the same progressive jackpot. Once again, the same basic jackpot principles apply.
Popular online progressive jackpot slots in the US
Here’s a look at the five most popular online progressive jackpot slots and linked-progressive slot series in the country:
Divine Fortune
Divine Fortune is at more real money US casinos than any other progressive jackpot slot.
It’s a three-row and five-reel Greek mythology-themed NetEnt-designed slot. Players can win the jackpot via the Jackpot Bonus Game, triggered when you land three or more bonus symbols. Fill the screen with bonus symbols in the Jackpot Bonus Game, and the progressive jackpot is yours.
Divine Fortune is known to have paid out some of the biggest jackpots in US online casino history. In fact, Divine Fortune has awarded more than $3 million in progressive jackpot wins in New Jersey casinos in 2020 alone.
That includes the following five $200,000-plus wins at NJ online casinos:
- $278,802.58 on March 15, 2020, at SugarHouse Online Casino.
- $271,476.08 on June 9, 2020, at Golden Nugget Online Casino.
- $268,223.23 on June 20, 2020, at Hard Rock Online Casino.
- $257,594.00 on Jan. 18, 2020, at Resorts Online Casino.
- $230,552.72 on March 31, 2020, at Hard Rock Online Casino.
The Divine Fortune progressive jackpot was worth over $250,000 on the Borgata/BetMGM/PartyCasino NJ online casino network in mid-2020. Plus, it was once again over $140,000 at Golden Nugget Online Casino and over $120,000 at SugarHouse Online Casino and Betfair Online Casino in New Jersey in mid-2020.
A 40-year-old Lititz, Pennsylvania, man also hit the Divine Fortune progressive jackpot at PlaySugarHouse.com in PA in March 2020, winning $278,430.23. That marked the thirteenth Divine Fortune jackpot at PlaySugarHouse.com in Pennsylvania since its launch in the summer of 2019.
The Divine Fortune progressive jackpot at the BetRivers network in PA was up close to $75,000 in mid-2020.
Mercy of the Gods
Mercy of the Gods is NetEnt’s progressive jackpot slot follow-up to Divine Fortune and is available at a variety of online casinos across the US.
It’s also a three-row and five-reel slot, but Mercy of the Gods features an ancient Egyptian theme.
The jackpot can be won in the Gift of Wealth Bonus Game, triggered when you land three golden heart bonus symbols. Fill the screen with golden heart bonus symbols in the bonus game, and the progressive jackpot is yours.
Players have hit three six-figure jackpots on Mercy of the Gods online in New Jersey:
- $293,839.47 on Feb. 27, 2020, at BetMGM Online Casino.
- $137,351.07 on June 16, 2020, at Borgata Online Casino.
- $131,285.60 on March 27, 2020, at Borgata Online Casino.
The Mercy of the Gods progressive jackpot was also over six figures on the Borgata/BetMGM/PartyCasino NJ online casino network in mid-2020. It was over $40,000 at Golden Nugget Online Casino.
The Mercy of the Gods progressive jackpot on the PlaySugarHouse/BetRivers network in PA was close to $45,000 in mid-2020.
Cleopatra mega jackpots
Cleopatra is an IGT-designed progressive jackpot slot featuring a familiar ancient Egyptian theme. It’s a standard three-row and five-reel slot that is available at a host of online casinos across the US.
You can win the jackpot in the Cleopatra Bonus game, triggered when you land three or more sphinx symbols. The Cleopatra Bonus game includes 15 free spins to start. Land the five Cleopatra symbols during your spins, and the progressive jackpot is yours.
Cleopatra is responsible for awarding one of the largest progressive jackpot win at an online casino in the US. It was a $373,500 jackpot at BetMGM in New Jersey on Feb. 13, 2020.
The Big One
The Borgata/BetMGM/PartyCasino NJ online casino network runs a linked progressive jackpot on a series of nine WIN Studios slots. The casinos call it The Big One. The Big One progressive jackpot can climb to over $330,000.
The Big One linked slots include:
- MGM Grand Millions
- Loot’EnKhamun
- Biker Pigs
- Going Nuts
- Melon Madness
- Book of Myths
- Spin Bandit
- The Win Genie
- Luck o’ the Jackpot
Chances at The Big One jackpot are awarded randomly on these slots. You are suddenly taken to a Big One jackpot screen where there’s a list of five progressive jackpots and a color wheel.
You spin the wheel, and it changes colors until randomly stopping on one. Every color corresponds to one of the five jackpots.
888 Jackpots
888 Online Casino in NJ has a series of linked progressive jackpot slots with a progressive jackpot that can climb to more than $1 million. The exclusive-to-888 slots include:
- Aztec Realm
- Mermaid’s Millions
- Oktoberfest Spins
- Rise of the Pharaohs
- Santa’s Super Slot
- Saved by the Bells
The games award the jackpot randomly. No matching symbols are required. However, bet size matters, and different bet sizes win different size jackpots. That means the big progressive jackpot is only in play with max bets.
Return-to-player rates and progressive jackpot slots
Normally, you look at a slot’s return-to-player rate to determine its volatility and playability. A slot’s RTP is the percentage of cash it takes in that it will theoretically pay back to players. A slot with a 99% RTP will eventually pay out 99 cents of every dollar it takes in.
That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to get back $99 out of every $100 you put in the game. However, it does mean someone eventually will. It could be you or some other player who catches the slot at the right time. In other words, a slot’s RTP is realized over the long haul, not session by session or spin by spin.
The slot’s house edge is the other side of RTP. That means a slot with a 99% RTP has a 1% house edge. That is, the casino ultimately makes a profit of one cent from every dollar put in the game. The higher the RTP and lower the house edge, the less volatile and therefore more playable a slot is.
However, you can throw all that out the window when it comes to progressive jackpot slots.
For the most part, progressive jackpot slots have low RTPs because so much of the money that players put into the game is siphoned off for the progressive jackpot slot.
That means most progressive jackpot slots are considered highly volatile. However, they’re still playable, because playing progressive jackpot slots is not about chasing more frequent, though smaller, payouts.
Instead, playing progressive jackpot slots is about taking your shot at the progressive jackpot. That means, when it comes to playing progressive jackpot slots, you can pretty much ignore the RTP and simply go for it.
Max bet is usually required to qualify for a jackpot
Slots are a game of luck, not skill. Therefore, there is no strategy players can employ to help them win a progressive jackpot. There are no guarantees you’ll ever hit the progressive jackpot, no matter how much money you put into a slot.
The odds are stacked against you in a big way. In fact, you’re going to need an astronomical amount of luck to win a progressive jackpot. That said, you also have to put yourself in position to get lucky. When it comes to progressive jackpot slots, that means making the maximum bet.
You should probably be betting the max on all online slots. This is particularly true when it comes to playing online slots with a progressive jackpot. The thing is, if you bet anything less than the maximum bet, you’re likely not even eligible to win the progressive jackpot.
If your goal isn’t to try to win the progressive jackpot, there are plenty of other slots more suitable for you. If you’re playing a slot with a progressive jackpot, it just makes sense to try and go after it. You simply have to play the maximum credits allowed to get access to the most paylines, bonus games, and the progressive jackpot.
Progressive jackpot slot strategy
Let’s face it, slots aren’t exactly strategy games. Particularly when you’re playing progressive jackpot slots, you’re trying to get lucky, and there is no strategy on earth that can help you do that.
That said, you must put yourself in a position to get lucky or you never will.
With progressive jackpot slots, that usually means making the maximum bet on every spin. In fact, to be eligible to win the jackpot on most progressive jackpot slots you must bet the maximum.
Check with the rules of each game to make sure that’s the case. If it is, and you understand playing progressive jackpot slots should be about taking your shot at the jackpot, anything else would be a waste of your time and money.
If you’re trying to book small wins instead, you should play low-volatility slots with high RTPs.
The thing is, chasing sizable progressive jackpots with life-changing money isn’t cheap. Maximum bets add up fast. Add in the fact there’s no guarantee you’ll ever win that jackpot, and you’re going to need to be careful. That means following the principles of a responsible gambling strategy.
Responsible gambling involves setting limits and sticking to them. Only play with money you can afford to lose, and when that’s gone, you have to quit. Show some discipline, don’t chase losses and you’ll survive to take a shot at that progressive jackpot again when you can play with another chunk of cash you can afford to lose.
Ultimately, this will help keep playing progressive jackpot slots a fun pursuit you do with disposable income. You’ll limit your losses and be able to take another shot at that progressive jackpot some other day.
Know your limits, stay within it
The reality is you’re more than likely going to rack up heavy losses chasing progressive jackpots online. That money in the jackpot has to come from somewhere. In fact, it’s being funded with every losing spin you and others make.
Mindlessly spinning away making maximum bets on a progressive jackpot slot can prove costly over time. Since there’s no guarantee you’re ever going to win, following responsible gambling principles and some proper bankroll management strategies can prevent you from getting in over your head.
Online gamblers should always set a limit of how much they can afford to lose in a particular session and stick to it. The key is making it a number that won’t have an effect on your life.
Applying this kind of common sense to managing your gambling bankroll can definitely help you limit your losses. Plus, that will make sure you can stay in the game long enough for you to get lucky.
If you lose the money you’ve limited yourself to, accept that today is not your day and simply walk away. Show some discipline. Do not chase your losses, and perhaps things will turn around when you return to play another day.
Whenever I play slots online, I almost always choose progressive jackpot slots. I’m not one to waste time. I’m not interested in winning $5,000. I want to win $5 million and never have to work again.
Progressive jackpot slots give you the opportunity to multiply your wealth rapidly. Some of the best jackpot slots are seeded at $1 million, meaning that’s the minimum amount you can win. I’ve read stories of lucky players winning tens of millions while playing popular progressive jackpot slots. Yes, these are the slot machines dreams are made of.
In this piece, I’ll explain how progressive jackpot slots work, why you have a slightly lower chance of winning them, and what the best jackpot slots are if you want a shot at winning a life-changing jackpot.
How Progressive Jackpot Slots Work
Standard slot machines have fixed jackpots. For example, you might win 5,000x your wager if you land five of the highest-value symbols across a payline.
However, progressive jackpot slots work differently. They also have fixed jackpots, but they have additional jackpots that grow with every spin.
Think of a progressive jackpot slot as a pool full of money. A small drop of water is drained from every player and funneled into the pool. At any moment, the pool could drain, sending all of that water gushing into one lucky players’ account. It’s not a perfect analogy, but you get the point.
There are various ways to win progressive jackpots. How each one is triggered depends on what game you’re playing. Here are some common ways they’re triggered.
- Matching Symbols – It could be a case of matching five special symbols on a payline. This is how standard jackpots are triggered, and some progressive jackpots work the same way.
- Bonus Rounds – I’ve seen picking games that require you to select coins and reveal colors behind them. When you match three colors, you win the associated progressive jackpot. I’ve also seen bonus wheels that can trigger progressive jackpots. The bonus rounds do tend to make the process of winning much more exciting.
- Random Wins – There are some progressive jackpot slot machines that assign wins randomly. Imagine spinning, spinning, and spinning some more, only to win several million dollars out of the blue. That’s possible when you play the top jackpot slots.
The Best Progressive Jackpot Slots Online
There are lots of great progressive jackpot slots, but there are a few that stand head and shoulders above the rest. Usually, this is because they combine massive progressive jackpots with smart bonus features and cool game themes. This is my list of the best progressive jackpot slot games. You can play these at my recommended real money slot sites.
Mega Moolah – Absolootly Mad
Mega Moolah is the top-rated progressive jackpot slot of all time. It has earned itself the nickname “the millionaire maker” because it is seeded at £1 million, and it has paid out multiple jackpots worth more than £10 million. The reason I’m reporting these amounts in Pounds Sterling is that Mega Moolah is a Microgaming jackpot slot, and that’s a British company.
However, over the years, the original Mega Moolah slot got a little dated and boring. It wasn’t the most exciting video slot, but people played it in droves anyway because of the progressive jackpot. Recently, Microgaming released multiple new versions of the game. The best of these, in my opinion, is Mega Moolah – Absolootly Mad.
This progressive jackpot game has an eye-catching Alice in Wonderland theme. It has five reels and 243 ways to win. It’s packed with features, including rolling reels, a free spins bonus round, and the jackpot bonus wheel. The latter is where you’ll have a shot at the Mega Moolah jackpot.
This game is serious business. Yes, it’s a lot of fun, but it can also deliver jackpots big enough to make you stare in disbelief at your screen for a few minutes before you realize you’ve won. This is the hottest progressive jackpot slot online right now. Miss it at your peril!
Mega Fortune
There are some slot machines that never go out of style, and Mega Fortune is one of them. It’s a popular NetEnt progressive jackpot slot that was released several years ago. Despite this, it’s still one of the most-played jackpot slots online.
Mega Fortune tantalizes and teases you by depicting the lifestyle of the rich and the famous. The theme is fantastic, with fancy watches, speedboats, glasses of champagne, and other luxury items on the reels. The game has a free spins bonus feature with multipliers and a jackpot bonus wheel.
The bonus wheel is there all the action happens; you have to make your way through multiple layers to try and win the Mega Jackpot in the center of the wheel. Honestly, it’s next-level excitement. I’ve been so close so many times, but I’ve never quite made it. The Mega Jackpot will be at least €1,000,000 and can grow much bigger as time passes.
There’s also a more modern version of Mega Fortune. It’s called Mega Fortune Dreams. It’s the same game with a different skin. I like the original better, but you should try both and see what one you prefer.
Jackpot Giant
Estonian software giant Playtech has produced some of the best slot machines ever released. It’s always at the forefront of the casino gaming industry, and so it’s no surprise that it also has some of the top progressive slots in its catalog.
Jackpot Giant may be several years old, but it’s still the top Playtech jackpot slots as far as I’m concerned. It has a stone-age theme with a giant searching for pots of gold.
It also has a cool bonus feature where the giant flips coins into volcanoes for cash payouts. If you line up five of the jackpot symbols on a payline, you could become an instant millionaire. Make sure you’re betting at least £1 per spin to qualify for the jackpot.
Jackpot Giant slot is a lot of fun, and that’s why I play it often. I’ve won huge multiples of my wager in the picking game, although I’ve never won the progressive jackpot. Will you be the one to take it home? You’ll have to give it a few spins to find out.
Cleopatra MegaJackpots
There are probably hundreds of video slots with Egyptian themes, but none of them have a progressive jackpot like Cleopatra MegaJackpots. This is a classic slot from IGT, and it’s part of the MegaJackpots network, meaning multiple slots in the network are contributing to the jackpot at the same time.
Cleopatra is quite a simple game. You’ll see all of the usual Egyptian symbols such as the Eye of Horus, Scarab Beetle, and the Ankh, and there’s a funky Egyptian soundtrack, too. It has a free spins feature with multipliers of up to 3x, and random in-game multipliers can also boost wins.
You’ll see the progressive jackpot amount at the top of the reels. It’s frequently greater than £1,000,000.
If you prefer simple, straightforward games without too many features but that still have the power to deliver huge progressive jackpots, I’d recommend this above any of the others. It’s simply fantastic.
Hall of Gods
Slots software companies have a thing for ancient gods. From Egypt to Greece to Nordic and Celtic cultures, there are a multitude of video slots themed on the deities our ancestors used to worship. Hall of Gods is among the best of them, and it’s one of the top NetEnt progressive jackpot slots.
This particular game has a Norse theme. You’ll see Thor, Odin, Loki, and other Norse gods on the reels alongside traditional axes, rings, Thor’s hammer, and other symbols linked to Norse culture. The game has three bonus features; expanding wilds, a free spins bonus round with up to 20 free spins and a 3x multiplier, and a picking game.
It’s in the picking game that you can win the Hall of Gods progressive jackpot. Your job is to smash shields with Thor’s hammer, revealing cash prizes behind them. If the gods of fortune have you in their sights, you’ll be wealthy beyond your wildest dreams in a few seconds flat. The progressive jackpot is seeded at £500k, but I’ve seen it reach more than £5 million before.
I play this progressive jackpot slot at least a few times per year. There’s something hypnotic about the theme, the gentle rain on the water sounds effects and the chance of winning such a colossal jackpot. You’ll want to give this one a few spins for sure.
Playing Progressive Jackpot Slots – What You Need to Know
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So far, I’ve shown you the best progressive slot games online, and as you can see, these games have massive potential. However, there are a few things to be aware of before you play progressive jackpot slots.
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- Progressive slot machines tend to have a lower RTP. Whereas a standard slot game might have an RTP of 96%, a progressive jackpot game might have an RTP of 90% or lower. That’s the price you’ll pay for contributing to the progressive jackpot on each spin.
- I’ve never seen a free spins bonus that permits you to play progressive jackpot slots in its terms and conditions. The risk this would pose to the casinos is too great. Don’t try to use free spins bonuses on progressive jackpot games.
- Progressive slots usually cost a bit more to play. I’ve seen video slots with minimum spins worth $0.05. However, most of the slots listed above will cost you at least $0.25 to play. As is the case in Jackpot Giant, you sometimes have to bet significantly more than the minimum bet to qualify for the progressive jackpot.
- Speaking of bets per spin, there’s ample evidence that the more you bet, the greater your chance of winning the progressive jackpot will be. Almost every jackpot slot pay table will tell you this. There’s no way that software companies would say this if it wasn’t true. They’d lose their gaming licenses in a heartbeat.
- Remember that your chances of actually winning a progressive jackpot are slim. Yes, the jackpots are colossal, but your odds of winning them are tiny. Your odds of winning depend on the game, but you’ll rarely have a greater than 1,000,000:1 chance.
Ready to Play?
Now that you know what the best progressive jackpot slots are, and you’re aware of the pitfalls of playing them, it’s time to try your luck.
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I’ll bet that if you asked any progressive jackpot winner if they thought it would happen to them, they’d tell you no.
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Check out some of my top-rated slot sites for in-depth casino reviews. You can play progressive slot machines at most of them.