Have you ever wondered what a progressive slot machine is? Some people have played in casinos for years and know. If you're new, it's a good question. Progressive slots get a lot of attention, but are they worth your time?
What is a Progressive Slot Machine?
Slot machines work like this, you place your bet, spin the reels, and win an amount based on what the paytable shows. Progressive slot machines are different. They do have the paytable, but there is an additional jackpot that grows until a winner is chosen.
Some progressive slots award the prize randomly to any player at any time. You could win on the very first spin or play for hours and never win. Winners are chosen randomly through a random number generation program. It's impossible to predict when a winner will be chosen.
Another type of progressive slot awards the prize randomly, but it's guaranteed to be awarded by the time it reaches a set value. If you're playing a progressive slot that gives out the jackpot by the time it reaches $200,000 and the jackpot is currently at $199,000, you know it's going to be awarded soon.
Finally, there are progressive slots where you win the jackpot by completing a bonus round or getting the right number of symbols across a certain pay line. For example, Mega Glam Life Slots has a three-stage jackpot wheel and three progressive jackpots: Big, Huge, and Mega. To win one of the jackpots, you must trigger the bonus game, spin the prize wheel, and land on one of the jackpot spaces.
With some progressive jackpot slots, you must pay close attention to the rules. You might need to bet a specific amount or bet the maximum number of credits per line. If you bet too little, you will not be eligible to win the progressive jackpot.
How Fast Do the Jackpots Build?
The answer to this question depends on a few things. There are standalone progressive slots that collect a percentage of cash from each spin made on that specific game in that specific casino. Standalone progressives won't have the largest prizes or the fastest growing jackpots.
Local progressive slots take a percentage from every spin of a selection of games in the specific casino. The jackpots will grow a little faster because several games are adding to the total prize pool.
Finally, there are network progressives that collect a percentage of bets on a wide network of games at several casinos. These jackpots grow quickly. IGTs Megabucks slots are one of the best-known network progressives. The jackpots are often worth millions of dollars. You usually see winners of these slots in the news having won one of the biggest slot jackpots in history.
At the time of this writing, the jackpot on IGTs Megabucks slots was well over $11.3 million. When a winner is chosen, the jackpot resets at $10 million, so it's still a very impressive prize if you're lucky enough to win it.
A Sampling of Progressive Slots
Now that you know the answer to “what is a progressive slot machine,” try some out. Chocolate Slots is a sweet treat with two progressive jackpots. Both are awarded randomly. Beyond the progressive jackpots, you can win walking wilds with respins, free spins, and sticky wilds.
Play Tycoons Slots and win the progressive jackpot by getting five briefcase symbols on an active pay line. You can also win free spins or play an interactive bonus game where you pick the tycoon with the best poker hand.
Where Do You Find Progressive Jackpot Slots?
Look for progressive jackpot slot machines in any land-based or online casino. In online casinos, you're looking for progressive games. They may be mixed in with all the slot machines or separated under a tab for 'progressives.” Give them a try. You don't always have to risk much for the chance to win thousands or millions of dollars in cash. Play progressive slots now.
