What Are Progressive Slots and What Makes Them Special?
What sets progressive slots apart from traditional ones is a large supplementary reward pool. And the reason for the prize of such an impressive size is that it only stops growing when the wheel stops spinning. This accounts for their popularity, as well as the fact that the jackpot can reach a whopping amount of money. This page explains the concept of the progressive slot, the way it functions, and several types of jackpots.
Progressive Slots: What’s in a Name?
The reason they are called progressive slots is because the size of a jackpot is not determined – it increases (or progresses) as players place bets in the course of the game. There are some progressive jackpot slots that set out an automatic jackpot pay-out. However, the majority of progressive slots do not have a cap and their amount can increase until some player hits it.
The only essential feature that makes progressive slots stand out is an enormous money prize. Some slots are specialized progressives, while others are just re-imagined versions of current games linked to a jackpot network.
Progressive Slots Gaming Model
Once a player makes a bet, a tiny amount goes to a special pot, which funds the jackpot. Some slots allocate around 3% of the player’s bet to go into the poll, others allocate even less than that – 2.3%.
When a player hits the jackpot, its fund is not zeroed out. Since playing slots with a jackpot of $0 is not very exciting, progressive slots set a minimum jackpot level. For instance, with some casino providers, players cannot win a jackpot of less than $1000. This is called “the seed amount”.
Various Types of Progressive Slots
Progressive slots appeared in the gaming industry decades ago. They started as single-game jackpots and expanded into winnings that are enabled in a large number of casinos. As more gamblers join, the jackpot increases and the chances of winning multiply.
Below are some of the popular progressive jackpots casinos offer. They differ not in the type of games, but in the way the slots are connected.
- Standalone jackpots: you can see these jackpots in a physical casino site (a bar, a bookmaker, etc.). Such jackpot is only linked to a specific machine, which means that its size depends only on the bets made there. The size of such progressives is not very impressive, though, it can still be of considerable value.
- Local jackpots: this kind of a progressive jackpot is mainly associated with online slots. Unlike standalone progressive jackpots, this one is linked to all slots of an online or brick-and-mortar casino venue. With online slots, as players place a bet, a small portion goes to the jackpot winning pool, which continues to rise until someone hits it.
- Global jackpots: this type of progressive jackpot slots is the most common. The main distinguishing feature here is that one jackpot can be featured across several online casinos. That’s the reason they can reach a mind-boggling size. There is a caveat, though: the wait may last for several months or years. But it is totally worth it as hitting a jackpot will lead to tremendous changes in the player’s life.