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 casino 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.
Slots with a jackpot 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 a jackpot slots game – a progressive one, in this case – but now that we know a bit more, we really should explore the different types.
Local
Jackpots slots online can be built 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 huge 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 as 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 the best jackpot slots are used to build the prize pool. It usually builds up more and more until someone triggers it and wins the lot. Things then reset and begin again from a predefined 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 jackpot online slots. 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 casino jackpot slots 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 fixed jackpot slots 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 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 grow 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 casino slots jackpot prizes continues.
Mega Fortune Dreams, Hall of Gods, or Major Millions are all great examples of high-paying progressive jackpot 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 online 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 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.
Bitcoin Jackpot Slots
Bitcoin jackpot slots typically are standard games that you can play at crypto gambling sites. They tend to follow the traditional concept and may be local, network-wide, standalone, etc.
Sometimes, crypto casinos will create their own jackpot slots for bitcoin or another cryptocurrency. In this case, the game is played with crypto and pays out a prize in crypto. Again, the game mechanics on such crypto jackpot slots isn't special or different from what you'd find on regular games played with fiat currencies.
Must Drop Jackpots
We can't write about the best progressive jackpot slots without mentioning the Must Drop products by Red Tiger Gaming. These Must Drop, and Daily Drop jackpots are a unique concept that informs the user when the latest date and time for a jackpot to land.
As the name suggests, for example, daily jackpot slots land once a day. Their prizes are juicy but typically not as big as the ones of other network-wide options like Mega Moolah or Age of the Gods slots.
Yet, they are attractive because as the deadline comes near, the likelihood of the jackpot landing increases. This type of progressive online slots gives at least some information and control over the situation. That's why players love the excitement they provide.
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. We'll also give you some suggestions for progressive jackpots slots that you can try out right now. 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 progressive 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. The list of Microgaming progressive jackpots has been recently improved with the WowPot series, including the Book of Atem WowPot and Sisters of Oz WowPot. This is an entirely separate jackpot network whose main jackpot seeding starts at an impressive €2 million.
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 online progressive slots are the ones from the Age of the Gods series. It 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. This superiority comes from its excellent Drop & Wins releases that provide daily prizes and jackpots to players at multiple different casinos. In terms of the Pragmatic Play jackpot slots 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 big on progressive slots games 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 – An online slots 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.
- Pick games wisely - 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.
Big Progressive Jackpot Wins
If you're here, you may want to know some good stories to keep you inspired and motivated to play jackpot slots games. Well, let us list some of the biggest wins recorded in the past few years. These are enough to prove to you that fair online casinos always pay jackpot winners just as they should.
- Belgian player hit €19 million on Mega Moolah in 2021.
- Anonymous player won €18.9 million also on Mega Moolah in 2018.
- Book of Atem WowPot paid €17.5 million in 2021 to a UK player.
- Mega Fortune paid €17 million in 2013 to a Finnish player.
How to Choose an Online Jackpot Slots Casino?
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 reviews to find your favorite jackpot slots casino, 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.
In the selection process, here are some things to pay attention to:
- Licensing and certification
- Number of big jackpot slots
- Variety of jackpot games
- Game providers
- Paying out rules
- Any game restrictions
Play Jackpots Slots Free
If you wonder if you can play jackpot slots for free, the answer is yes, you can. However, there are a few things to note. When you play in demo mode, you're using virtual credits that have no value. In that sense, it's impossible to hit the jackpot when playing in demo mode. Moreover, some games like Mega Moolah – where the jackpot is granted randomly – won't activate this feature during demo mode.
Another way to play jackpot slots online free is by using a bonus. Just note that sometimes casino operators will ban you from using free spins or bonus cash on these games. So, it's essential to check the rules.
Finally, you can try some of the best progressive jackpots online right here. We offer them in demo mode. To try them out, you have to browse them by title in the search bar and then initiate free play.
Jackpot Slots Online – 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 jackpot slots online reviewed right here at GoodLuckMate.
Open their reviews to learn more about their features, typical jackpot amounts and to test them out in demo mode too! Once you have your favorite pick, you can move on to real money play and hope for a miracle.
Good luck!
