Progressive Jackpot Explained

We are willing to bet you like the idea of playing casino games that include some jackpot potential. That potential ranges from one fixed jackpot to several progressive ones. We are going to focus on the progressives in this article, answering the most frequent questions people pose about them.

So, if you have anything you would like to know about these jackpots, prepare for use to explain more about progressive jackpots right here.

What does progressive mean?

In this case, it means a jackpot that gets progressively larger. A small slice from each real wager placed on the game goes into the jackpot. When you consider that many thousands of players might play the same game over a day or longer, you can see how the amount can easily climb.

Some casino games have just one jackpot while others have several. If there is more than one, it is common to find each one getting bigger than the last. They would also have different names, such as Mega, Minor, and Mini, for example.

How can you receive this type of jackpot?

There are various ways that you can receive a progressive jackpot. Most often, the trigger is known only to those who created the game. Let's say you play a five-reel slot game with three icons per reel, giving a total of 15 icons on screen. A random combination of mixed icons may be chosen to trigger the jackpot. If you get that combo on the reels, you'll win the big prize.

Another way you might get the jackpot is with a maximum bet. Some games only allow the potential to score a progressive if you bet the max amount on the spin. This means anyone with a smaller budget is going to miss out. However, there are lots of games that don't have this rule, so it is easy enough to find suitable games to play.

You might also need a specific trigger. For example, the treasure Nile slot game requires you to get five Pharaoh icons on the 9th payline while playing the maximum bet. This shows how a game creator can combine two ways to unlock a jackpot into the same game.

Finally, you might need to trigger a bonus feature whereby the jackpot is available as one of the potential prizes. You'll most often see these in games where there are three or more available jackpots.

Look out for capped jackpots

There are a few games where someone must win the progressive jackpot by the time it reaches a certain level. For example, the ceiling amount could be set at $25,000. This means the closer the jackpot gets to that amount, the more chance there is of someone winning it.

Learn more about seeded jackpots too

Is this getting complicated? No - it's just a case of finding out the meaning behind a jackpot seed. When someone nets a progressive prize, they receive it, and the process begins again.

If a game does not have a jackpot seed, it means the progressive begins again from zero. However, if there is a jackpot seed, it is set at a specific amount. Let's say the seed is $5,000. If the jackpot reached $15,863 and someone won it, the pot would return to the starting amount of $5,000 rather than zero.

This is worth knowing - or you can avoid a slot or table game until the jackpot has risen again. Of course, everyone else might adopt the same tactic!

The odds are long

But someone will win, right? We prefer casino games that give players a chance at a jackpot (or two or more) without asking them to wager any more than they would for a regular bet on that game. There are lots of these around too.

So, if you see a game that asks for a minimum dollar bet (or more) per spin or go, think carefully before you play. The odds of receiving the jackpot are not in your favor. You would get far more play from a game that had a smaller minimum bet, so think about finding some of those instead.