Progressive Slots and How They Differ From Traditional Alternatives
Have you ever heard of progressive slots and their huge jackpots? Find out all the secrets of such games.
What Is a Progressive Jackpot Slot Machine?
“Progressive jackpot machine”, “progressive slot”, “progressive slot machine”. We are talking about the same thing! A progressive slot is a game that is linked to other games of the same type. We’re talking about a network of progressive games that share a single jackpot.
Now you can see why this type of gambling is lucrative: as you play and wager on these linked games, the prize pool keeps growing, growing, growing until one lucky player wins it. The progressive jackpots are usually very high, well over a million USD!
Progressive vs. Classic Slots: What’s the Difference?
As you might expect, the jackpot is the major difference between “classic” slots and progressive slots. It’s important to remember that traditional slot machines also have jackpots to win. Unlike progressive games, these jackpots are fixed: they will always be the same amount and will not change over time.
Classic slots will give you a much smaller payout than progressive jackpot online slots. On a traditional slot, the amount you can win is often tied to the amount you bet.
So it’s important to keep in mind that the minimum bet to play a progressive slot will be higher than the one required on a traditional slot: one of the conditions that also seems “logical” to access this game that allows you to win huge amounts.
And then for the rest, no difference to be notified: the rules of play are the same as on a traditional online slot machine.
The Different Types of Progressive Slots
As you know, the world of online casinos is a creative one that never stops innovating, much to the delight of players. And when it comes to this category of gambling, casino game publishers are no exception to the rule. You will find dozens and dozens of progressive jackpot slots with various themes and features.
We can distinguish 2 main types of progressive slot machines:
- Small progressive jackpot slot machine: a progressive jackpot slot machine accessible to a larger number of players offering a slightly smaller jackpot than other progressive games (Cryptologic games, etc.)
- Big progressive jackpot slot machines: these are the most famous progressive machines in the world, signed by the behemoths Microgaming (the Mega Moolah slot), Playtech (Gold Rally). The jackpots are well over a million USD!
Understanding the Principle of Progressive Slots
By now you’ve understood that a jackpot is “progressive” when the bets made on the slot machine contribute to the growth of an unfixed jackpot. But there is a variable that can change the jackpot amount from a few tens of thousands of USD to several millions. It’s the way the progressive jackpot slots are networked together.
The Stand-Alone Progressive Slot Machine
A stand-alone progressive slot machine does have a progressive jackpot available, but it’s powered solely by the bets placed on the game. These were the first progressive machines available in land-based casinos. Today, while most progressive machines are linked together, many stand-alone machines are still easily found in casinos around the world.
Internal Network Progressive Slot Machines
If we go back in time, the internal network slot machine is the next step… These machines offer jackpots that are linked within the same establishment. This network can range from a dozen machines to over a hundred slots.
Public Network Progressive Slots
This is the most modern and popular version in online casinos today. A public network jackpot connects slot machines from multiple casinos, but with the same game publisher.
