Interested in how jackpot bonus features work? Join us to learn more about how fixed and progressive jackpots work and how they reward casino players.
Adding either a fixed jackpot or a progressive jackpot to a video slot or table game is a fantastic way to achieve three outcomes: it can bring in new fans, extend the lifespan of a game, and provide extra value to players at no extra cost.
However, beyond the fact that it adds a jackpot prize component to the casino game in question, not many players understand how they work and how they differ from one another.
If you are interested in learning the difference and how they impact your gaming outcomes, this quick guide is made for you.
Progressive jackpots are not new to slot players. Land-based casinos would offer limited access to a network of slot machines which funded a prize pool from the spins played by their patrons.
With the advent of online casinos, developers were able to expand this from a single casino to a network of operators that spanned the globe. With each spin of the reels by a global player base contributing up to 2% of the wager to the collective pool, these online slot progressive jackpot prize pools easily reached millions of dollars in value.
When a player strikes it lucky by activating the jackpot bonus round, they stand a chance to win all or a portion of the current pool.
Did You Know: The Mega Moolah progressive jackpot slot has a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “Largest jackpot payout in an online slot machine game.”
For a time, most developers competed with Games Global, attempting to deliver bigger and bigger jackpots to knock Mega Moolah and Wowpot from the top spots.
However, Relax Gaming opened up new options when it pivoted to delivering smaller prizes more frequently with its Dream Drop product. These faster jackpot guarantees now include Daily payouts and ‘Must Drop’ jackpots set to deliver before a preset value is reached.
While fixed jackpots also offer primarily slot players the chance to take home a massive bet multiplier, the potential rewards are stated up front.
The most common format for fixed jackpots is a four-tier structure where players know upfront that they can win either the Mini, Minor, Major and Grand prizes. These prizes are preset win multipliers, for example x10, x50, x100 and x5000, which allow the player to win more by betting more.
These jackpot prizes never increase, do not come from a prize pool, and often represent the game's top payout, not a special payout which can be won over and above the game's internally coded maximum reward.
While both types of jackpots are commonly found in online and mobile casino games, triggering the bonus feature is not always going to play out the same way.
There are two ways in which most progressive jackpots are won:
Symbol Collecting: During the course of playing the jackpot slot, you will be required to collect specific symbols that fill a meter. Once this meter is filled, you will have enough ‘tickets’ to gain access to the progressive jackpot mini-game. Playing this game can either see you win one of the base prizes or claim a payout from the progressive jackpot prize pool.
Random Triggers: This is most often found when a progressive jackpot is added to an existing slot to extend its appeal. Players will then stand a chance to be awarded access to a jackpot mini-game at random, regardless of bet size or symbols collected.
Being awarded one of the jackpot tier prizes is generally down to collecting the name of the jackpot level during a bonus game. The mini-games in these slots tend to be played with a special reel set where collecting 3 or more Mini, Minor, Major symbols pays the associated win multiplier.
Claiming the Grand prize level generally requires the player to fill all available spots in the bonus game feature with symbols. Filling the reels instantly pays out the Grand prize.
If you want to try your hand at either of these jackpot types, we recommend the following casino games:
These and many other jackpot slots, spanning a variety of themes, settings, and bonus features, can be enjoyed at our top online casinos and crypto gambling sites.
To get in on the action, sign up, claim a welcome bonus, and place a real money bet to see if you can win your first jackpot prize.
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