BingoFind is your one-stop shop for everything you need to know about online bingo and more. As many bingo operators now offer their members casino games and slots, we’ve created this Progressive Jackpot Slot Guide to help unravel the mysteries of one of the most popular types of slots in the world. Our guide explains what progressive jackpot slots are, as well as where you can access them, what the benefits of playing standalone games versus networked games are, how you can win a PJP, and which progressive jackpot slot games are the most popular.
What is a progressive jackpot slot?
Progressive jackpot slots are online slot games that possess a jackpot which increases in value as people across a bingo site, online casino sites or multiple locations play the game.
There are different types of progressive jackpot slot games. Some of them are networked across several sites while others are standalone, i.e. a game’s jackpot can only increase when played in a single location. Another thing that can vary between games is the number of jackpots that can be won. For instance, game A might boast a single jackpot while game B might offer you the opportunity to win one of four jackpots.
The main reason why people love to play games of this nature is that they often offer more money than you could ever stand to win while playing bingo games or non-progressive slots. Sometimes, their value can be in the region of thousands of pounds, and others offer you the chance to win life-changing sums of money of £1m or more.
Where can you play progressive jackpot slots?
These days, you can find progressive jackpot slots in land-based casinos and bingo halls, as well as at online bingo and casino sites which allow you to play their games on desktops, smartphones or tablet devices. As different operators stock titles from various software manufacturers (e.g. NetEnt, Microgaming, NextGen, and IGT), it’s worth checking which games are on offer before signing up with a site.
Where does the money come from?
The jackpots that you find on progressive jackpot slots take a small percentage of each bet that’s wagered on a game. So, for example, if you’re playing with a £1 bet, the game might take a 5% cut (i.e. 5p) which is added to the jackpot’s value. Imagine if 1,000 people each spent £20 on the same slot in a one-hour time period. This would mean that of the £20,000 wagered on the game, the jackpot would grow by £1,000 in just sixty minutes. Considering progressive jackpot slots are incredibly popular, it’s easy to see how quickly the PJPs can grow.
Standalone versus network progressive jackpot slots
Standalone games are only funded by play on a particular slot while networked games are funded by all bets placed on a particular slot plus other slots that are linked to it. A good example of a networked PJP is the Marvel Comics slots series, which includes Fantastic Four and Iron Man 3. On the other hand, Fluffy Favourites is the perfect example of a standalone progressive jackpot.
How can you win a progressive jackpot slot?
Winning a gigantic jackpot might seem highly improbable, but as the National Lottery proves, you’ve got to be in it to win it. After all, someone has to win the PJP, so why not you?
The rules on how to win vary from game-to-game. Some require you to spin a certain winning combination; others award their jackpots at random, and then there are games that only pay out their progressives if you manage to make it all the way through their bonus feature or land on the right segment after spinning a Wheel of Fortune.
Selected software manufacturers state that their games’ PJPs are more likely to be won by players who are wagering with higher bets, and there are no progressive jackpot slots that we know of that will pay out if you’re playing in demo mode.
Therefore, it’s always best to check the rules or paytable prior to playing so that you know exactly what you need to do to win.
How big can they get?
The largest jackpot payout in an online slot machine, that is the official name given to it by the Guinness World Records, was recorded on October 6 2015 when a British soldier scooped a £13,209,300 (€17,879,645) windfall when playing Microgaming’s Mega Moolah at Betway casino. The winning spin was worth a mere 25 pence. The previous record was held by a Finnish man who took home €17,861,813 while playing the 5-reel, 25-bet line video slot of Mega Fortune created by NetEnt. The same game holds the third largest payout ever, when a Norwegian student was in the moolah, after pocketing €11,736,228. Elsewhere, the biggest jackpot win at online bingo site took place at Butlers Bingo, when the winner scooped £5.88 million while playing the Dark Knight.
The most popular progressive jackpot slots of all time
No progressive jackpot slots guide would be complete if it didn’t tell you about the most popular games so that you can try and conquer a massive cash prize. We’ve rounded up the five most popular slots with progressive jackpots, which have huge amounts of money added to them every day. Because their jackpots grow so quickly, they can be won more often than other progressive jackpot games.
1. Mega Moolah – Mega Moolah by Microgaming has made many millionaires since its launch. The biggest PJP it’s paid out to-date is an incredible £13.2m to a British player in October 2015. It offers four jackpots – Mini, Minor, Major, and Mega – which can be randomly awarded at any time;
2. Jackpot Giant – Jackpot Giant is a Playtech slot with an RTP of 94.22%. You can only win the PJP if you’re playing with the maximum bet level per line, and you’ll need five wild symbols to land on the first payline;
3. The Dark Knight – The Dark Knight by Microgaming contains four PJPs which can be awarded at random. If the jackpot bonus launches, you’ll need to spin a Wheel of Fortune to determine which of the jackpots you’ve won;
4. Beach Life – Beach Life by Playtech pays out its PJP if you land five wild Sun symbols across the twentieth payline;
5. Iron Man 3 – Iron Man 3 is one of a series of progressive jackpot slot games created in association with Marvel Comics. It features a networked multi-level PJP (which runs across other games including Elektra, Blade, and Fantastic Four), and gives you the opportunity to take home the Power, Super Power, Extra Power or Ultimate Power PJP by randomly granting you access to the Jackpot Game on any spin.
We hope you’ve found our Progressive Jackpot Slot Guide helpful, and now that you fully understand how these types of slot games work, it’s time to get put into practice what you’ve learned. Who knows? Today might just be the day that you enter the online slots Hall of Fame as the next big progressive jackpot winner!
On the other hand, if you want to learn more about progressive bingo jackpots, make sure you read our complete guide.
