If you enjoy online casino games but want to earn a proper payout – hundreds of thousands or more – then you need to turn away from standard low-return games like blackjack; the truly staggering jackpots are found in progressive slots.
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Standard online slots have a “jackpot amount” which is guaranteed by the casino every time someone gets the winning combo on the reels. This is amount is fixed and the payouts will never be life-changing. Progressive slots take a different approach: for every coin that is bet, a percentage of its value contributes to the jackpot – that means it’s always growing.
It’s true that many players use low stakes, but since popular games have thousands of players every day, jackpots can easily enter into the millions. Mega Moolah is probably the most famous progressive slot game with its highest ever payout of over £13 million a few years back… and it has kept on making new millionaires, ever since! Safe to say that a win on progressive slots will change the game forever.
The Big-Name Developers in Progressive Slots
Microgaming
One of the biggest names in online casino is Microgaming. They are best-known for producing the “Millionaire Maker” Mega Moolah and having the highest progressive jackpot network in the world – over 500 million euros released to date. With lucrative jackpots and seriously high-quality game design, they dominate most of their competitors.
Playtech
Playtech are another big-hitter in the world of progressive slots. Games like Gladiator and Funky Fruits pay out an average of over £1,000,000 per jackpot. For Jackpot Life and Beach Life, the highest ever wins are £4.5 and £5.2m respectively – we are talking ludicrous sums of money, all won by your average player.
Finding Lucrative Progressive Slots
When choosing a progressive slot game to play, you aren’t just looking at the highest ever payouts; you also want to see how often players are winning big. If there’s a jackpot once every five years, that’s maybe not worth the effort. Looking at Everybody’s Jackpot, however, where you can win a wedge of the jackpot just by being a recent player in the game, that’s definitely worth pursuing. The average waiting time for a jackpot is a shade over a week and averages £160,000, though it’s been as high as £400,000 in the past!
Jackpot Giant is one at the other end of the scale. It offers a lot of smaller-scale wins, but the jackpot has fetched upwards of £4.4m in the past. The maximum bet is only £3 (required to get the jackpot) so it’s an affordable game for non-high rollers, especially given the enormous progressive jackpot which is up for grabs.
The average payout is a healthy £450,000 for King Cashalot. Since the maximum bet is only £2 or so, it’s a very lucrative return. It’s not the biggest prize in progressive slots, but other games have maximums of over £50!
Mobile Progressive Slots
While they aren’t as prolific (yet) as their desktop counterparts, mobile progressive slots are not only here to stay, their jackpots are on the rise. Star Lanterns by Mega Jackpots has jackpots into the millions, while plenty of other mobile progressive slots can dole out a return of thousands for only penny stakes. While there are plenty of benefits to playing online, mobile offers a flexibility and ease-of-use that’s unrivalled.
Progressive Slots Tips
The important thing to remember is that there’s no secret or hidden ways to win the casinos aren’t telling you about – anyone who tries to convince you otherwise is a charlatan. That said, there are a few tips and pointers to keep in mind that can help steer you towards that jackpot and, if the numbers fall in your favour, to take it home in your (proverbial) back pocket.
The first is to only play slots you can afford. To win the progressive jackpot you need to bet the maximum; therefore you should only use progressive slots where you’re happy to bet that every time, and often, before having a chance to win. Also try to use slots with high percentage (96%+) payback and to track your losses and gains.
Perhaps the most important thing is to choose slots you actually enjoy playing. Since winning is random, you need to have a good time while playing. That’s why you should also avoid using autoplay; slots isn’t guaranteed to make you money, but it should always provide a fun, enjoyable past-time.
If you’re looking to win it big, always choose the game where the progressive jackpot is at (or even above) its usual jackpot payout. For example, if the average jackpot is £500k and the progressive is sitting at £550k, then that game is ready to burst. If someone else takes home the prize money, then move onto number 2 on the list. Use jackpot meters to literally watch the numbers grow and help you decide where to feed your coins.
Best Casinos for Progressive Slots
Since many casino software providers (aka the guys who make the games) license their programs to various casinos, you also have to decide which casino you want to register with. Here are some of the best casinos for online progressive slots:
- Betway Casino – Part of the vast Betway Gaming Network, they offer a staggering number of visually impressive and sleek online slots. Their games can all be accessed online with no downloads required, and registration is super easy.
- Ladbrokes – Known globally for its Sportsbetting and Poker Portal, Ladbrokes is also at the front-line in terms of online slots, both for payout percentage and high game quality.
- LeoVegas – Designed and optimized for both mobile and desktop gaming, LeoVegas offers many of the world’s finest games and boasts relationships which virtually every big player in gaming software circles. Excellent player experience guaranteed.
- 32Red – One of the oldest online casinos in the world, it has built up a staggering following of loyal players and continues to attract more with its commitment to quality software and a majestic game selection.
The Only Way to Win, Is to Spin
While the odds may not necessarily be in your favour, progressive slots offer the only chance to win a life-changing sum for bets of a couple of pounds or less. They are exceptionally enjoyable (with a vast range of different themes, designs and bonuses) and the added excitement of a slowly growing progressive jackpot can transform every casual spin into a shot of adrenaline.
Visit our recommended casinos for progressive slots in order to find the biggest jackpots and the best games, and we really hope you come home with a jackpot before long!