In many online slot machines, the odds aren’t the only things that don’t fluctuate. As you familiarize yourself with how online slots work, you’ll discover that some slots offer jackpot prizes that escalate in value over time.
These are progressive jackpot slots, and they’re popular because of their reputation for granting massive wins to lucky players. BetMGM Casino offers players the chance to win these prizes on a fair and secure platform.
What Is a Progressive Slot Game?
Progressive slot machines might be the most famous among all types of jackpot slots. That’s because progressive slots add another layer of excitement for players.
The simple answer to the question of “What are progressive slots?” is that these are slot games in which players have an opportunity to win a progressive, or growing, jackpot. These are different from fixed jackpot slots which have fixed payouts.
Playing progressive slots online can increase the entertainment value because players get to see the value of the jackpots escalate in real time and even contribute to that enrichment. To get the most out of the experience, players should understand what they’re getting into.
How Do Progressive Slots Work?
For the most part, if you know how to play slots without progressive jackpots, you also know how to play progressive slots. The basic process of picking a game, selecting a bet denomination, and then initiating the action is the same.
With progressive slots, though, part of your wager is added to the value of the progressive jackpot (or jackpots). Some of these games might require you to place a side bet to get a chance at the progressive jackpot (or jackpots), though, in which case that extra wager supplements the prize.
Progressive jackpots continue to grow until they hit a cap or someone claims them, whichever happens first.
Types of Progressive Slot Machines
Both land-based and online casinos have several types of progressive slots. The variety of these games provides players with different experiences they can choose from, and provides slots with progressive jackpots for people with varying budgets.
Details of any progressive jackpots at BetMGM are available in each slot’s help section. This information includes the starting value of each jackpot, how much that value increases with each qualifying bet, any upward limits, the odds of hitting the jackpot, and how to try to win the prize.
The different types of progressive slot machines are:
Standalone Progressives
Standalone progressive jackpots are exactly as the name suggests: a jackpot that you can try to win individually. In most cases, the slots with this type of jackpot will have just one progressive jackpot.
Either way, each qualifying bet will add to the value of the specified jackpot, and those wagers will only give you a shot at the same prize. Other progressive slots take more liberty.
Local Progressives
If you know what a local computer network is, you’ve got the basic premise of a local progressive slot. Usually, this refers to a slot that has multiple progressive jackpots.
In this context, qualifying bets escalate the value of all the potential prizes simultaneously. The scope can broaden further, though.
Wide Area Progressives
Wide area progressive slots contain jackpots that are shared between games, or even in some cases, between casinos. Qualifying bets over the entire network contribute to the value of the prizes.
These jackpots can build quickly, but they tend to be won more often as well. Regardless of the format, what’s obvious is that players enjoy these slots.
Why Are Progressive Slots So Popular?
It’s no mystery why progressive jackpots are popular. These games have paid out massive prizes, on rare occasions soaring into seven-figure values.
Besides the potential value of the payouts, these slots still pack a lot of punch in the entertainment department. The features are robust, and the themes are immersive.
To a great degree, the popularity of these slots is a self-fulfilling prophecy, in that slot developers put their best resources into the games because there’s so much demand for them. It’s important to temper the excitement with realistic expectations, though.
Odds of Hitting a Progressive Jackpot
The basic rule of thumb in gambling is that the more valuable a potential prize is, the harder it is to win. That rule applies to progressive slots as much as any other form of gambling.
If you see a progressive slot with a high return-to-player rate, you might assume that your odds of hitting that jackpot are player-friendly. It’s important to remember that it’s a subjective evaluation, though, based on what you’re comparing it to.
You’re better off looking at the details of the slot in the help section of each specific game to ascertain your chances of hitting each jackpot than assuming anything about the likelihood of doing so. In most cases, you shouldn’t expect friendly odds.
How Are Progressive Jackpots Paid?
Even casual experience with how casino winnings are paid out should clue you into how you’ll receive your progressive jackpot winnings if you get lucky. In slots, this usually comes as a result of landing the right combination of symbols in the correct order, but in other slot games, a progressive jackpot can be won completely at random.
Other slots have even stricter requirements, such as needing to first activate a special feature like free spins bonuses to get a chance at the special prizes. Other games contain dedicated bonus reels or wheels with the jackpots on them.
If you’re lucky enough to trigger the associated game mechanic, your jackpot will be added to your bankroll, like any other prize in a slot game. You can then choose what to do with those winnings.
How Often Do Progressive Slots Pay Out?
The parameters of each jackpot can be extremely individual, although you might see some aspects repeated in jackpots. Those aspects might include the odds upon which the jackpots pay out.
Knowing the specific odds dispels myths like the more valuable a jackpot becomes, the more likely it is to hit. Another myth is that you can tell when a progressive jackpot is likely to hit.
Can You Tell When A Progressive Slot is Going to Hit?
Jackpot slots with the highest max payout aren’t necessarily less or more player-friendly simply due to the availability of those lucrative prizes. The RTP in the game dictates that aspect of the slot, not the value of its biggest payouts.
In progressive slots, as well as any other slots, the odds are fresh on each play. You have the same chance of hitting a jackpot on your 10,000th spin as you did on your first, and vice versa.
Any person who claims to have a system to predict when progressive jackpots will hit isn’t being honest, but this doesn’t take away from the lucky people who have claimed these prizes before.
Biggest Progressive Jackpot Wins
Many of the largest slot wins in history have come courtesy of progressive jackpots. In 2024, for example, BetMGM players won more than $128 million playing slots with progressive jackpots.
Those wins included a $6.5 million jackpot that a BetMGM player in New Jersey secured in August 2024. At that time, it was the largest online casino slot prize in United States history.
Another player scored a massive return of over 20,000,000x when they won more than a million dollars on a 40-cent bet on Bison Fury in April 2024. While these prizes are understandably appealing, it doesn’t mean these games are the best fit for you in every instance.
Progressive Slots vs. Regular Slots: Which Should You Choose?
It’s natural to see huge payouts and dream about what you could do with such a win. It’s just as important not to get carried away with those fantasies, though.
Progressive slots might not represent the best value for your money and time, despite the high prize ceilings in some of the games. That’s especially true if there are non-progressive slots that you enjoy thoroughly.
At the same time, the features and themes in the progressive slot category are diverse enough that you should be able to find a game that checks all the boxes for you. In slots, you really can have it all.
The Most Popular Progressive Jackpot Slot Games
Many of the most popular progressive slots to play right now fit in the most beloved theme categories. Several of these games have earned reputations as the most-played online slots in history, too.
For people who enjoy a festive Asian-themed slot, the 15 Lanterns game is a celebration of Lunar New Year festivities with chances at The Big One progressive jackpot network’s prizes. Black Diamond Deluxe is a great choice for people who love classic slots and opportunities to try for progressive jackpots.
Among the “Hall of Fame” entries is the Divine Fortune Touch slot, which includes a progressive jackpot among its other famous features. Regardless of which game you choose, your choices are pivotal to your chances.
Tips and Strategies to Hit a Progressive Jackpot
The trick to slot machines, including games with progressive jackpots, is to manage your risk. You can’t influence the outcomes in these games of chance, but you can control which game you play and how much you bet.
Before you begin playing, you need to establish an overall budget for your session. Then, set loss, time, and win limits that allow you to try for the jackpots in the game you’ve selected.
The best strategies for slot machines include allocating your bankroll within those limits to give yourself a chance at the prizes you want. BetMGM gives you an honest chance at progressive jackpots and rewards you for taking these chances.
Play for Progressive Slot Jackpots at BetMGM Casino
If you want to test your luck with a licensed, trustworthy online casino with an array of progressive slots to choose from, you’ve found exactly what you’re looking for in BetMGM. Players in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia are already enjoying BetMGM’s huge library of slots, and are doing so with the best casino rewards program available.
Your chances at these prizes await you as soon as you register for BetMGM, which you can do if you’re at least 21 years old. Signing up is easy, fast, and free on BetMGM’s Android app, iOS app, or website.
After you register and make a qualifying deposit, you can use your casino welcome bonus to explore BetMGM’s collection of progressive slots. BetMGM is ready to help you progress toward a good time.
