How Online Slots Work: Bonus Features and Progressive Jackpots

In the recent article on how online slots work, we discussed a variety of key slot topics like RTP, volatility and win multipliers.

These are all elements that affect the player experience in one way or another. In Iceland, online casino play has expanded steadily, even considering the tight gaming regulations.

Online Casino Reports goes further, exploring the most popular bonus features and progressive jackpots. While the basic mechanics are vital to gameplay, it’s the features that attract players, and the jackpots that keep the reels spinning.

Let’s take a closer look at what the appeal is behind these casino games.

Bonus Features: Depth and Entertainment

One thing about bonus features is that they add extra excitement to the online casino experience. Instead of going for the classics, spinning the reels repeatedly, the game has additional elements you can look forward to.

1. Free Spins

Free spins have become one of those permanents you can’t imagine slots without. It’s often strange when you do find a slot without free spins. These are often triggered by a bonus scatter symbol. And you get to take spins without additional wagers. These spins often have multipliers, sticky wilds, expanding reels, or retriggers available. All these elements work together to increase your winning potential.

2. Wild Symbols

The wild is another common feature that substitutes for all other symbols to help increase winning opportunities. There are different types of wild symbols, including expanding wilds, sticky wilds, and walking wilds. Wild symbols can increase the hit frequency and turn almost losses into big wins.

3. Win Multipliers

Multipliers are becoming more of a common occurrence in online slots, with the latest games sporting crazy multipliers. You get multipliers of 2x to 10x or big multipliers of 500x to 5000x. These multipliers are often integrated with free spins or bonus games and can turn small wins into something more impressive.

4. Pick and Click Bonuses

This bonus round lets you pick from hidden items like treasure chests, doors, and icons, which will reveal instant prizes. It’s a nice feature that makes for a more interactive gaming experience. It also gives you a better sense of control as you determine the outcome by picking from the selection.

5. Cascading Reels & Megaways

A feature that always gets us excited is cascading reels or megaways, with winning symbols disappearing and allowing new symbols to fall into place. This chain reaction allows for multiple wins from a single spin.

Megaways, which was developed by Big Time Gaming, provide randomised reel configurations which create thousands of possible paylines per spin. These features enhance game volatility and game excitement.

Progressive Jackpot Games and Life Changing Wins

Bonus features keep things dynamic, while progressive jackpots are a sweet treat that draws players.

There are different types of jackpots you can trigger:

• Standalone progressives: These are linked to a single game and grow only from bets placed on that machine. These are smaller types of progressives that grow steadily with gameplay. They also tend to offer more frequent payouts.
• Local Progressives: These are often lined across multiple machines at one casino. Often, the casino will have it listed or marked. They tend to offer bigger payouts as they gather contributions from a wide number of slots.
• Wide-area Progressives: These are linked across multiple casinos and online platforms. These jackpots have the potential to award millions. Think Mega Moolah by Games Global, a game that has made many instant millionaires over the years.

Progressive jackpots are huge prize pools that tend to grow as you place bets on specific games or game networks.

How do I trigger a progressive win?

The thing about progressive games is that the outcomes cannot be manipulated. Often, the jackpots are randomly triggered, meaning they can drop at any time, no matter the symbols.

Or the game could have a bonus wheel where you can take a spin and stand a chance to land on the jackpot segment. For other games, symbol combinations may present the chance to unlock your progressive prize.

Why are progressives so popular? 

Progressive jackpot games often have all the mark-ups of normal slot games, with the key difference being the size of the payout. The idea of hitting life-changing wins from a single spin is part of what keeps players coming back to progressive games.

Once you’ve read up on how RTP, volatility and multipliers work, plus understand the value that bonus features and progressive jackpots add to the overall slots experience, it could be time to play for real money.

Check out our recommended Icelandic online casinos for a range of welcome bonuses, including free spins, no deposit casino chips, wager-free promotions, cashback offers, and more.