Jackpot Slots

The different types of jackpot slot

First of all, let’s begin with the basics. For example, many new casino players might want to know how a jackpot slot differs from a classic slot or a video slot. Well, to put it simply, regular slots have a fixed maximum payout – when you land the right combination of high-paying symbols and bonus round features. On the flip side, the massive prizes offered by jackpot slots can often fluctuate or grow continuously until someone wins the whole lot. And as we’ll see, multi-million prizes can sometimes be won from a single spin, which is part of the attraction.

Jackpot slots tend to steal the headlines on a fairly regular basis. For example, back in 2018, one very lucky punter (who wished to remain anonymous) managed to win a grand total of more than €18.9 million by playing Microgaming’s Mega Moolah from an Android mobile device. In fact, it later turned out that this world record amount was won from a spin of just €0.75. How amazing is that?! However, Mega Moolah is just one type of jackpot slot – a progressive one, in this case – but now that we know a bit more, we really should explore the different types. Another fun fact? In 2021, a win of €19,430,723.60 on the Mega Moolah Absolootly Mad slot overtook the throne as the biggest online casino jackpot ever hit.

Local

Jackpots can build or be formed from player contributions in many different ways. One such way is known as a local jackpot slot. This isn’t anything to do with where you are based or if other players are in close geographical proximity to you. Instead, local jackpots are built from the players at one specific online casino. So, if you imagine that all the players playing a certain game at one casino are contributing to the prize pool and that the jackpot will be won by one of those contributing players. In this way, it narrows down the number of potential winners.

This setup has upsides and downsides compared to other types of big jackpot slots. On the plus side, there are far fewer competitors challenging you for the big win compared to other types. However, because fewer people are contributing towards the overall main prize, the totals are unlikely to rise quite so high as those built on the contributions of a larger pool of players.

Network

As you may have already worked out, a small percentage of the wagers made on most jackpot machine releases are used to build the prize pool, which usually builds up more and more until someone triggers it and wins the lot. Things then reset and begin again from a pre-defined base level. So, in contrast to the smaller prizes of local slots, networked or pooled jackpots can be significantly larger. In this type, then, the prize total is gradually built up from the players at hundreds (or even thousands) of different online casinos that are each hosting the exact same game. 

Expanding from the players at just one casino to multiple different ones is the reason why network jackpots can grow to be absolutely massive! Therefore, these are some of the most popular big-win slots available at online casinos. We regularly play them ourselves, simply because you never know when the reels might go nuts and everything goes into total meltdown!

Fixed

As the name suggests, the prize pools offered by fixed jackpot slots do not change. They are, therefore, set at a predefined level – which is still well worth winning any day of the week, by the way! – But, they won’t continue to rise and rise like other types of jackpots. Another way to refer to these kinds of games is as a cash pot jackpot, where there is one main prize for all participants regardless of the number of previous bets, the number of players playing it, or where the game happens to be hosted. 

Playing these kinds of games has several advantages over the other ones featured here. Chief among these is the fact that the top prize is won a little more often compared to a progressive jackpot, for example. Also, knowing the top prize from the get-go prevents you from having to time when you play, as the total win will still be a huge one regardless of whether the last one was won five minutes or five years ago. Check out games like Aurora Wilds, Wacky Races, or Jammin’ Jars, for some good examples of a fixed jackpot slot that are extremely fun to play.

Progressive

We’ve mentioned this one a couple of times already. Some of the biggest prizes in the iGaming world come from progressive jackpot slots such as Mega Moolah, as we saw with that world record earlier. Regardless of whether they are hosted by one casino or many, online progressive slots take contributions from every single player who bets on that game and continually grows the prize pool until one very lucky son of a gun wins the whole lot in one go. After that, the prize pool returns to its base level and the process of ever-growing prizes continues.

Mega Fortune Dreams, Hall of Gods, or Major Millions are all great examples of high-paying progressive slots online. And because thousands and thousands of bets are placed on these kinds of releases on a daily basis, you can sometimes see the prize pools grow to rather astronomical levels, even reaching into the multiple millions on occasion. The only downside is that these types of jackpots are notoriously hard to win and they don’t release that kind of cash very often. Plus, free progressive slots usually aren't a thing as the main point of these games is for the jackpot pool to grow.

Multiple

Our last category involves games that carry not one but two or more jackpots each running side by side. Each one is triggered by different winning combinations, certain bonus round features, and a variety of other factors. What’s common to them all, however, is that you will find all the tiered prizes available whenever you play them. Typically, you will see things like Minor, Major, and Mega used to denote the different prize pools available to players every time they spin.

The Mega Moolah series of hot shot progressive slots is a great example, even though it crosses over into other categories, too – in fact, it contains four separate main prizes. Often, these kinds of games allow the different prizes to be won within the base game, while others may involve bonus rounds or minigames that are launched by landing the right set of symbols. As with all the games, you should check out the paytable to find out exactly how to win the grandest of prizes.

Best Jackpot Slot Providers

Now that we have an understanding of how each of the main game types works, let’s have a look at five of the best providers of these releases, along with some suggestions for games that you can try out right now. You can either try the games at your casino of choice or play slots for free at GoodLuckMate in demo mode. This is in no way an exhaustive list, but merely suggestions for some of the best entertainment available, each designed to give players an excellent introduction to the world of jackpot titles.

Microgaming

The world record for the largest online casino payout belongs to Microgaming. They are famous for producing some of the best jackpot slots in the business. In fact, the game Mega Moolah proved so popular that they created several versions of it, which are all linked to the central progressive prize pool, so it can be won on either the original game or on one of the variations such as Mega Moolah Isis, Absolootly Mad, and Atlantean Treasures. Other ones to try include Major Millions, Mega Vault Millionaire, Wheel of Wishes, King Cashalot, and Cash Splash.

NetEnt

One of the largest game providers on the planet and a huge rival of Microgaming, NetEnt has produced several of its own jackpot releases. These include some excellent local, network, and progressive jackpots that have seen some of the prizes reach tens of millions over the years. Some of the most well-known NetEnt jackpot releases in this area are Mega Fortune Dreams, Hall of Gods, Arabian Nights, Divine Fortune, and Imperial Riches.

Playtech

Another huge company that has been around for years and is often mentioned in the same breath as Microgaming and NetEnt is Playtech. Several online casinos even stock Playtech titles exclusively, so you can tell they are well-trusted within the industry. By far the best-known Playtech jackpot release is the Age of the Gods series, which features several versions such as Norse Ways of Thunder, King of the Underworld, and Glorious Griffin. They’re super fun!

Pragmatic Play

This provider has grown in prominence against the more popular studios mentioned above because of its excellent Drop & Wins releases that provide daily prizes and jackpots to players at multiple different casinos. In terms of the titles that you should check out first when it comes to competing for massive prizes, look toward Chilly Heat, Diamond Strike, and Fire 88.

Yggdrasil

A younger studio compared to the ones we’ve mentioned so far, Yggdrasil has made a name for itself with stunning animations and superb game mechanics. The provider has also dipped its collective toe into the jackpot world with releases such as Ozwin’s Jackpots, Joker Millions, and Empire Fortune. Playing any of these games will give you a great start in going after top prizes.

The Best Progressive Jackpot Slots

Most, but not all, online casinos have slots with progressive jackpots. The average number of slots is usually around twenty, but some casinos have hundreds. Usually, the big casinos have the best selection, since they're the ones that can afford to pay out the winnings. However, the overall number of progressive slots is not the only thing you should look out for since the particular games a casino actually offers is even more important. These are some of the biggest and best progressive online jackpot slots.

Mega Moolah

Microgaming’s Mega Moolah jackpot game is triggered randomly, and when it’s triggered, you’re guaranteed to win one of the game’s four progressive jackpots, of which the Mega Jackpot is the biggest. The jackpot can easily reach more than 10 million euros, and it usually tops the list of the biggest jackpots you can win at online casinos.

Mega Fortune Dreams

The Mega Fortune Dreams slot from NetEnt offers a jackpot that may not be far behind Mega Moolah’s prize. All three progressive jackpots are placed in a wheel of fortune, which you enter if you get three bonus symbols on one spin. If you manage to spin your way into the center of the wheel, you’ll trigger the Mega Jackpot.

Joker Millions

Yggdrasil also has some big global jackpots, and one of the best is Joker Millions. In this jackpot game, the object is to fill the entire screen with joker symbols because you’ll need 15 of them to trigger the jackpot. This jackpot is not quite as big as the ones we just mentioned, but it has still reached close to 8 million euros before, so it could quite possibly grow that big again.

How to Win a Progressive Jackpot

You’ll have to be more than a little lucky to win a big global progressive jackpot because the chances of that happening are minuscule. However, someone has to win it, so it could be you. There are no surefire ways of ensuring that you’ll actually win a jackpot, but there are a few tricks that could help you. Here are two of the tricks you should keep in mind when betting on a progressive jackpot

• Bet high – It’s not necessary to put the maximum bet on the slot to be able to win a jackpot, but a bigger bet is more likely to trigger the jackpot than a smaller one. A bigger bet contributes more to the jackpot, and that’s why your chances of winning will increase.
• Play at the right time – A jackpot will trigger at some point, and the bigger it gets, the better the chances are that it will be triggered soon. Choosing to play when the jackpot is bigger than normal is therefore always smart. However, the size that the jackpot can reach will depend on the slot, so you should make sure you know how big each jackpot usually gets before you start to play. The jackpot slot you choose is also important. The big global jackpots are, needless to say, not easy to win, simply because they don’t trigger that often. They can go for months before they finally pay out, which is also why they get so big. Your chances of winning the jackpot on a slot with a normally smaller jackpot may be higher. The game provider Red Tiger Gaming offers slots with a pooled jackpot, and this is guaranteed to pay out once a day! You won’t win millions, but you can still win a substantial amount.

Jackpot Slots – Conclusion

There’s a reason why these types of online casino slots have become so popular all over the world. They each contain a dream of a better future – and a little luck can see a tiny amount of money turn into something truly life-changing. You can find plenty of online slots reviewed right here at GoodLuckMate. And, what happens once you’ve found the slot you'd like to try, and you now want to discover which are the best online casinos to do so? Well, have a read through our extensive online casino reviews to find your favorite, and click our welcome bonus banners featured on top lists to get the latest and greatest deals available. Taking up one of these fantastic offers will give you a fighting chance of winning the big one and screaming with delight. Good luck!