On a three-coin dollar slot machines, for example, you can't win the progressive if you bet only one or two coins. Instead, landing the top jackpot combination on the payline brings a reduced payoff at a fixed amount. On video slots, progressive jackpots usually are multi-tiered. Anywhere from two to 12 progressive levels have been offered. PLAYING TIPS TO WIN PROGRESSIVE SLOT MACHINES When playing progressive slot machines the best pay out is always with the max bet allowed. This means, if the game says that the max bet is 3 coins, you should play 3 coins. This is because when you win slots, you only win the maximum jackpot if you bet the max bet. How to win a progressive jackpot depends on the slot. In some cases, it's simply randomly awarded at the end of a spin, and you may need to 'Bet Max' to qualify. Others will involve a.
Stand-alone and linked progressives
There are basically two types of progressive slots at land-based casinos across the US:
- 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.
Casino extreme free chip. 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. How to win slot machine.
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.
Best Progressive Slot Machines
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.
Progressive Jackpot Slots
Best storage for gaming 2018. We all want to strike it rich one day. Some dream about becoming the CEO of a major company. For others, it's happily marrying into a wealthy family. Most of us don't dream-plan that far ahead. We just want to win a slot machine jackpot or massive lottery prize, instantly changing our lives. Is it really so far-fetched?
How to Win a Slot Machine Jackpot
No, I don't have a miracle method. There's no hack or cheat for winning slots. By no means can I guarantee you'll strike it rich. What I can do is teach you how to give yourself the absolute best possible chance to win a progressive slot machine jackpot. These are legitimate, proven methods for narrowing the odds gap.
- Read the Fine Print: The very first step in learning how to win a progressive jackpot slot machine is to read the rules; including the fine print.
- Bet Above Minimum: Every slot has a min/max bet limit. Most progressive slots require you to bet a higher minimum to activate the jackpot.
- Activate All Paylines: If you can choose how many paylines to activate, play them all. You won't be eligible to win the progressive jackpot otherwise.
- RTP Matters (to an Extent): A game's RTP tells players how much it will pay back, compared to what it takes in. Generally speaking, the higher the RTP, the better.
- Seek Higher Volatility: A slot machine with high volatility will pay less frequently, but bigger prizes.
- No Machine is ‘Due': No game (or player) is ever ‘due' for a win. Slot machines run off RNGs, not sympathy.
- Avoid Fancy Features: More features (bonus rounds, multipliers, special wilds, etc.) means more small wins, not big ones.
- Bring a Big Bankroll: Any good jackpot hunter will tell you it takes money to win money.
Disclaimer – Not all forms of gambling are legal in all provinces of Canada. The legal age to gamble also varies by province. Breaking the law is a serious matter. The information provided on this website is meant for educational purposes only, and we will not be held liable for any irresponsible / illegal activity on your part. Know the gambling laws in your province and follow them. The following pages provide more information on Canadian gambling laws: Alberta – British Columbia – Manitoba – Newfoundland & Labrador – New Brunswick – Nova Scotia Northwest Territory – Nunavut – Ontario – Prince Edward Island – Quebec – Saskatchewan – Yukon |
1. Read the Rules – Even the Fine Print! |
I know, I know – no one ever reads the fine print. Who has that kind of time? Well, if you're just going to casually play the slots with your fingers crossed, then don't worry about it. If you're serious about beating the slot machines and changing your financial future, you'll take a few extra minutes out of your precious time to read the game's rules. Every modern slot machine has an Info page. It covers everything from the game's symbols, features, and pay table, to the specific terms of jackpot eligibility. If you have to bet a certain amount of money to activate the jackpot, you'll find that information here. If you have to wager with your own money (as opposed to free promotional bonus credits), you'll find that information here. Neglecting to read and understand the terms of a progressive jackpot could be the difference between a life-altering moment of pure bliss, and the ultimate defeat of a potential jackpot being ripped away from you. Several of the sections below – minimum bet size, full payline activation, RTP, volatility, etc. – are defined within these rules. Read them. Know them. Follow them. |
Progressive Slot Machine
2. Minimum Bet Size to Activate the Progressive |
I touched on this topic already in the section above. Many progressive slots have two separate minimum bet amounts. The lower of the two is going to be the minimum amount you can bet to play the game at all. The higher minimum will be the amount you must wager per spin in order to activate the progressive jackpot. For example, a slot machine might have min/max stakes of $0.01/$1.00 per active payline. If it has 20 paylines, you could be betting as little as $0.20 per spin. But if the game requires a minimum $0.05 per payline ($1.00 per spin) bet to activate the progressive, you're wasting your money. |
3. All or Nothing – Activate Those Paylines! |
Another subject mentioned in our ‘read the fine print' section, if there's a variable number of paylines you can activate, you must activate them all. This is a static rule among all multi-line style slot machines featuring progressive jackpots. You cannot win the progressive if you don't play full lines. You might be eligible to win a smaller jackpot prize, but it won't be that ever-growing progressive. Furthermore, if you're activating all lines, you're also undermining the game's potential RTP, which brings us to… |
4. Understand the Value of a Slot Machine's RTP |
RTP stands for 'return to player'. This is the amount a machine is programmed to pay back to its players, compared to what the machine takes in. It is a theoretical percentage, mind you. A 95% RTP does not mean that for every $1 you wager, you will win exactly $0.95 back (i.e. lose $0.05 per $1.00). It means that, over a very, very long period of time (we're talking decades here), the game will pay back exactly 95% of its intake as wins. RTP definitely matters when choosing a slot machine. However, you can't expect a progressive game to have an RTP as high as a non-progressive. For example, most of Microgaming's online slots come with RTPs between 95% and 97%. They're flagship progressive, Mega Moolah, only has an RTP of 88%. 88% may not sound as appealing as 97%, but the Mega Moolah reseeds its mega jackpot at one million every time it strikes, and the larger it grows, the higher the RTP becomes. You won't see the actual RTP displayed anywhere in the rules – only that lowly 88%. But that's the unique thing about progressives. Their actual RTP silently fluctuates. When a machine has just paid its progressive, the RTP drops, because the machine is now ahead of the curver, so to speak. In its current state, it has paid out more than its RTP was programmed to. As the progressive grows larger and larger, its RTP rises. If the jackpot exceeds a certain amount – it varies by machine – the RTP can actually rise to above 100%. this doesn't guarantee you'll win it, of course, but it sure does increase your odds. |
5. High Volatility = Higher Chance for a Big Win |
Slot machine volatility is one of the primary features of any modern game. Volatility comes in three levels – low, medium and high. The basic definitions for each level are as follows. Low Volatility: A game that sees more frequent winning combinations on the reels, but averages much smaller amounts per win. Medium Volatility: A game that sees a balanced number of winning combinations, and a balanced amount per win. High Volatility: A game that see less frequent winning combinations on the reels, but averages much higher amounts per win. By these definitions, it's easy to understand why you would be better off playing a high volatility progressive slot machine. You're not going to see nearly as many prizes overall, but your chances of releasing a larger prize – the progressive jackpot, in particular – will be greater. |
6. No One is ‘Due' to Win, but RTP & RNG do Collaborate |
Please do not make the mistake of thinking that any machine, regardless of any circumstance, is 'due' to pay out. Similarly, no matter how much time or money you've spent playing one or more slot machines, you are never 'due' for a win, either. These are machines. They do not have feelings. They do not care about past history. Today's slot machines aren't like the mechanical drums of old. They operate on a random number generator (RNG). The RNG is made up of a long series of numbers that are constantly changing. The moment a player presses the spin button, the numbers stop. The resulting algorithm determines what symbols appear in what positions on the screen. RNG algorithms decide every outcome. Not the casino – not the game's creator – not the player. None can predict what will happen. That is decided the moment the Spin button is pressed, by nothing more than that long strain of numbers. Therefore, no machine or player is ever ‘due' for anything. That being said, however, there's one reality that casinos and manufacturers never talk about. When a slot machine's actual RTP drops lower and lower below its intended RTP, the machine knows that it has to get back to 'status quo', so to speak. The RNG may still produce a plethora of randomized results, but it only makes sense that the algorithms that produce higher wins – including jackpot wins – would appear more often in the RNG sequence. Long story short, while the Gambler's Fallacy remains true (no one is ever 'due' anything), a game that has not paid its jackpot in a long time is capable of being more likely to strike than one that has not. |
7. Why Those Fancy Features Diminish Jackpot Odds |
Classic slot machines had very little fanfare. They had three reels and no more than 5 paylines, if not just 1. They were super easy to play, and super easy to understand. No one ever spun a classic 3 reel and won a prize, but wasn't sure why. These old fashioned games were so simple, in fact, that they didn't need info sheets or separate pay tables. Everything you needed to know was right there on the main screen. Today's video slots are completely different. Now, manufacturers implement so many reels, symbols and features, you hardly know what's going on half the time. Most players don't even bother to read the results anymore. They don't bother learning the value of the symbols. They only know what they won, or that they've triggered a feature, when the game tells them. The more often the game says a feature has triggered, the more excited these types of players get. The problem is, they are so overjoyed by the features that they aren't paying attention to any real details. Most of the time, the wins are so small, they're actually losing money, as is common with low volatility games. And that was the manufacturer's goal all along – keep players happy and 'in the zone'. Those classic games really are the better choice for jackpot hunters. You don't have to play 3-reel classics, but stay away from games with a long list of features. Free spins are great, wilds are good, but anything else is just a distraction. Big time slots. |
8. Save Up Your Quarters – This Won't be Cheap! |
Some people hunt progressive jackpots all their life and never win one. Other people get lucky on their first trip to a casino. There's no predicting what this experience will be like for anyone. Knowing how to win a progressive jackpot slot machine doesn't mean it will happen; only that your chances will be greater by employing the knowledge you've gained here today. The only thing I can promise you is that you're going to need a sizable bankroll to do it. That said, here's some advice I strongly suggest you take. Do not bet money you can't afford to spend. Set aside a stash of money just for this purpose. If that stash runs out, stop playing. Save up more money and try again later. And, last but not least, take the time to enjoy the process. Everyone needs a hobby, and most of hobbies cost money. There's nothing wrong with that. Just know that, no matter how closely you follow the tips in this guide, your odds to actually win a slot machine jackpot are still going to be several million to one. If you aren't enjoying it, what's the point? |
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