Jackpot Slots – Everything You Need to Know About

Unsurprisingly, jackpot slots are amongst the most profitable and popular of all casino games on the net. Every player dreams of landing a big win on them, and because of that, millions of pounds worth of cash is thrown into jackpot slots every week. What are jackpot slot machines, though, and how can you expect to walk away with the top prize?

Aren’t all slots jackpot slots?

In a manner of speaking, yes; however, there are two types of jackpot slots. Ordinarily, the slot machines with fixed jackpots (we know them as non-progressive slots) aren’t called jackpot slots. Instead, we reserve this title for progressive jackpot slots, in short, games which do not have a capped or fixed jackpot. When you hear a casino talking about jackpot slot machines, they are talking about progressive slots.

A progressive jackpot slowly (sometimes rapidly) builds up with each new wager that is placed on it. As there is no cap, the jackpot keeps on growing until it is won. Once it is won, the prize disappears, and a new prize becomes available, which is fixed at a minimum base level. When new bets continue, the jackpot rises once more until it is won again, keeping the cycle going. Progressive slots can often run on a network, meaning that several games all share the same progressive jackpot prizes. Following a win on any of those games, the jackpot is removed from all other slots on that network.

Winning progressive prizes

There are numerous ways to win cash prizes in jackpot slot machines. It helps to know how you can trigger a progressive prize on a jackpot slot before you sit down to play. The most common ways to win a jackpot prize are by landing a winning combo on a payline, at random, or playing a slot recently enough that you can get a share of a community prize. Grab the best casino bonus and start playing!

Randomly awarded jackpots

Jackpot slot machines which randomly award their prizes do not require players to do anything other than spin the reels. If there is just a single jackpot prize up for grabs, you will instantly win it at random in these types of games. However, if there are two or more available, you will likely be taken to a bonus round at random.

In a jackpot bonus round, players are likely to be able to win one of several progressive prizes, each varying in value. Some bonus rounds guarantee you one of the jackpot prizes, while others offer consolation prizes, too. Most jackpot bonus rounds feature a wheel of fortune or a scratch card-style bonus, but the exact mechanism to trigger a win may vary from slot to slot.

Payline jackpot prizes

Winning a jackpot prize on paylines in some games is possible. A few of the older jackpot slot machines require players to land a five-of-a-kind winning combination of jackpot icons on a line. Sometimes, the restrictions are so tight that you’ll have to land that combo on a specific payline. Jackpot slot machines which pay out their prizes on paylines will typically require players to place maximum stake bets to win a progressive. Failing to do so and landing the winning combo will often deliver a consolation prize instead.

Community jackpots

There are also community jackpot slots. These may have a prize triggered via either one of the methods mentioned above or another way. There is a trick, though. You don’t need to be the one who triggers the jackpot to win a cash prize. With community jackpot slot machines, everybody who has played the slot recently, or wagered a certain amount, or is playing at the time the jackpot is won will pocket a share of the pot. The rules for each community jackpot slot vary, so read up on those before you play.

How much can I win?

The amount you can win varies from jackpot slot to slot. Some of the internet’s most prominent progressive jackpot slots, such as Microgaming’s Mega Moolah and Net Entertainment’s Mega Fortune have delivered prizes worth more than £10m. Others, which include Net Entertainment’s Hall of Gods and Playtech’s Gladiator often provide prizes worth between £€1m and £€5m. Mega Fortune: Dreams, the sequel to Mega Fortune has been known to deliver similar cash prizes.

Playtech’s DC Universe slots – although hugely popular and running on a 4-tier progressive jackpot network – seldom pay out more than a £1m at a time, and there are countless other slots out there which can deliver progressive jackpot prizes ranging from £€5,000 up to several hundred thousand pounds, too. Naturally, there are not as popular as the big jackpot slots you can find on the net.