You’ve heard the inspiring stories of people who made millions of dollars from progressive slots. No skills were involved. Some players simply wagered a few cents and landed million-dollar jackpots.

So, why not give these games a shot? After all, why spend your money on video slots and table games when you can win so much more from progressive jackpots? Below is a comprehensive guide about progressive jackpots. Find out how they work, their benefits and disadvantages before you play them.

How Progressive Slots Work

Progressive slots are largely similar to regular slots. They have colorful video screens that run three to seven reels with symbols on them. You win by triggering the right set of symbols—these could be melons, bells, lions or monkeys depending on what the game is about.

The exact moment you win is determined by Random Number Generator Software (RNG). Every slot has this software. And usually, the software is set to payout at a specific rate. This is why some games payout more often that others. We’ll talk more about payout rates shortly.

With that in mind, progressive slots have a unique jackpot feature. When you bet money on these games, a portion of your wager is added to the progressive jackpot. This happens over time until someone activates the symbols required to win the progressive jackpot.

Where to Find Progressive Jackpots

The Internet is jam-packed with free and real money casinos. Not all of these companies are worth your time. As such, it’s essential to choose a casino to play progressive jackpots carefully.

First, you want a safe and secure website. This helps protect your data and money. Second, choose a site with a wide variety of slots. Casumo Casino is a great example. As reviewed on bestonlinecasinos.org.uk, the UK-based operator has 788 video slots and 52 progressive jackpots.

If you’re like many casino players, bonuses are a compulsory feature. They make playing casino games more exciting. And of course, they can also boost your profits. So, pick an operator with lots of good bonuses. 

There are several more features you should look out for in a good online casino for progressive slots. For example, banking providers, a good reputation and payout speeds, customer service, mobile play and unique features. Look for all these features to play at the best company.

Payout Rates/Return to Player

As we mentioned earlier, all slots have a preset payout rate also known as Return to Player (RTP). It is a theoretical estimate of the amount of gambled money a game should pay back to players through wins.

Video slots have the highest payout rates of all slots: classic, Megaways, progressive and 3D slots included. Some video slots payout up to 99% of wagered money. Unfortunately, progressive slots have low RTP rates and this is a matter of concern.

  • Mega Moolah: 88.12%
  • Mega Fortune: 96%
  • Hall of Gods: 95%
  • Beach Life: 93%
  • Arabian Nights: 95%

Because they have poor payout rates, progressive slots aren’t always the best slots to play. You can play these games to try your luck at their gigantic jackpots. But for every day fun, you’re better off playing video slots.

How Much Do You Need to Play Progressive Jackpots?

Although you can win a lot of money from progressive jackpots, you don’t need lots of cash to play the games. Mega Moolah, the most famous progressive slot, has a minimum bet of 25 cents. The maximum bet stands at $125. Below are the limits for other popular jackpot games:

  • Hall of Gods: $0.20
  • Mega Fortune: $0.25
  • Arabian Nights: $0.10
  • Major Millions: $0.20

In other words, the standard progressive slot has similar betting limits to video slots. In fact, the goals are similar—you play to trigger winning symbols. The only difference is that progressive jackpots have lower payout rates albeit bigger jackpots.

In many cases, there’s no trick for triggering a progressive jackpot. All you need is to wager often and hope to activate jackpot symbols. In Mega Moolah, there’s a bonus wheel that enters you into one of four jackpots.

In other progressive slots, there’s one progressive jackpot. If you trigger it, you join an exclusive club of online casino millionaires.

What’s the Maximum you Can Win from Progressive Slots?

Jackpots are the best part about progressive slots. You can win so much money from these games that you could take an early retirement. Think about it. What would you do if you won €15 million?

At least three people have won €15 million jackpots from the progressive games. In 2013, a Finnish man won €17.8 million from the Mega Fortune slot. Then in 2015, England’s Jon Heywood set won €17.86 from the Mega Moolah slot game. This record was later broken in 2018.

Only a few people have won millions of euros from progressive slots. And that’s alright. But there are hundreds of players who’ve won tens of thousands of euros. Their stories provide inspiration to anyone with a dream of getting rich playing casino games.

The odds of winning millions of dollars at online slots are slim. But considering you can bet from $0.10 at some slots, they’re worth the risk. After all, you could fail to land the jackpot and win smaller non-jackpot rewards.

What Else Should you know?

Today’s progressive slots have all the bells and whistles found in video slots. They have wilds that convert all other symbols to increase your odds of winning. And they have scatters that can help you land free spins.

The games come in different forms and shapes. So, there’s some slots inspired by fruit and bells. Others, like Mega Moolah are based on the African Savannah. In other words, the games are entertaining as much as they payout at high rates.

Your Turn

Progressive slots are some of the most exciting games you can find at online casinos. They have jackpots that increases over time until someone wins. Should you play these games? Yes, you can play progressive slots with the hopes of winning their life-changing jackpots. However, don’t put all your hopes in these games—they have poor payout rates.