We all dream of landing a progressive jackpot. After all, progressive games cough up the biggest prizes it is possible to win in online casinos. Do you know how to win a progressive jackpot, though? You may find it surprising to learn that there are quite a few possible ways to get your hands on those prizes. In this Go Spin blog, we’re putting progressive jackpots front and centre and revealing everything you need to know to win one.
Understanding How Progressive Jackpots Work
Progressive jackpots are cash prizes without caps. These jackpots grow with each new bet you wager, with a small portion of each bet contributing to an overall pot. Because there’s no cap, the total amount you can win might rise into the millions, even tens of millions of dollars range. This contrasts with non-progressive jackpots, where prizes are fixed. You’ll commonly find four types of progressives up for grabs, including:
- Standalone Progressives: These jackpots appear in single games. Only players at your casino can win, and only if playing this single slot. Players come from just one site, and the prizes rise slowly.
- Networked Progressives: Unlike standalones, the jackpots in networked progressives are up for grabs for all worldwide players of a slot. Somebody at another casino can win the prize you’re trying to land. Because they share jackpots across many sites, there’s a bigger player pool, meaning prizes rise much faster than with standalone progressives.
- Community Jackpots: In these games, you don’t necessarily need to win the jackpot to share in the spoils. Anybody playing at the time (or fulfilling other criteria) all share in the jackpot prize when it is won, with the winner getting the largest slice of the pie.
- Timed Progressive Drops: Here, progressives will pay out within specific times. Hourly jackpots cough up their rewards at any point within the hour, while you may also have daily, weekly and monthly prizes.
Progressive Jackpots in Online Casino Games
If you hear the term “progressive jackpot”, you’ll immediately think of slots, right? It is true that the best progressive jackpot games (with the highest prizes) are often slots, but there are other games you can consider:
- Jackpot Slots: Jackpot slots pay the largest prizes and are the most famous and the most widespread of progressive games.
- Progressive Poker Games: Progressive poker games pay their jackpot if you win a tournament or if you place a side bet on landing a specific hand.
- Jackpot Roulette: Roulette games sometimes feature progressives. You’ll normally need a side bet to come good to land such a prize.
- Progressive Side Bets in Other Games: Blackjack, scratch cards, dice games and most other games may also feature progressives. While the exact triggering mechanisms vary, they’ll often centre around side bets, too.
How to Win Progressive Jackpots in Slots
In most cases, learning how to hit a progressive jackpot at a casino means landing a progressive jackpot on slots. These games offer the most diverse number of ways to land a win, and they include:
- Jackpot Symbols on a Payline: This outdated method requires you to land five jackpot paying symbols on a payline – sometimes a specific line.
- Click and Win Bonuses: Other games pay their jackpots if you manage to line up identical symbols or cash values in a bonus round.
- Jackpot Wheels: Delivering prizes via jackpot wheels is common in slots supporting multiple jackpots. You’ll likely trigger these jackpot bonuses randomly.
- Time-Based Jackpots: As mentioned, time-based jackpots pay at random at any point before the timer runs out.
- Randomly Triggered Jackpots: Slots featuring several jackpots often trigger them at random. You only need to play (nothing more) to hopefully land one of these prizes.
Key Things to Know About Progressive Jackpots
We can talk for hours about slot jackpot tips and how to land big wins. However, a lot of that is too specific. Instead, let us showcase a few of our experts’ tips concerning things you need to know about progressive jackpot games as a whole.
The Value of Your Bet
Some games, specifically older ones, demand a maximum stake to win a jackpot. Bet anything smaller, and you could win a consolation prize instead. In games with multiple jackpots, the amount you wager can determine how likely you are to win bigger prizes over smaller ones.
Ignore “Hot and Cold” Jackpots
Always ignore so-called “Hot and Cold” jackpot stats. Casinos tell you that hot and cold numbers reveal when a jackpot is due to pay, but they don’t. Just because slots “usually” pay within a certain time frame doesn’t mean they will.
Tracking Jackpots Online
It’s certainly possible to track jackpots online. This is handy if you want to know how much a jackpot is currently worth or when it was last won. Just don’t focus on “overdue” jackpots and hot and cold numbers, as mentioned.
Tax Implications
Most European countries (exceptions exist) won’t slap your winnings with tax. Over in the US, Uncle Sam hits your progressive winnings with a hefty tax. Check out the gambling tax laws for the country you live in ahead of time. Prepare to pay any due taxes yourself, too, as casinos don’t do this for you.
Claiming Your Winnings
The biggest casinos pay out winnings immediately in one lump sum, even progressive prizes. Smaller casinos often pay in instalments, which isn’t what you’re looking for. Check the payout T&Cs ahead of time for jackpots. You may find yourself asked to do publicity for the casino, too, although most respectable sites offer anonymity for jackpot winners.
Watch Out for Misconceptions
Aside from hot and cold myths, there are other misconceptions worth avoiding. For instance, there isn’t a specific “time of the day” when it’s better to play. Similarly, a slot isn’t any less likely to pay if someone has just won. It can just as easily deliver the goods again. That’s how RNGs work – at random.
Practice Playing Progressive Jackpot Games for Free
We always recommend playing any games for free before wagering real cash on them. You can absolutely play progressive jackpot games as free-to-play demos. However, the jackpot features may be switched off, which is less convenient. Even so, since many jackpots today are randomly triggered, it’s still worth playing demos for free to gain experience on how a slot works outside the jackpot aspect.
FAQ
Do I have to place a maximum stake to win a jackpot prize?
Not always. The rules surrounding how much a stake is worth to trigger a jackpot prize varies from game to game.
Does the casino or software provider pay the progressive jackpot prize?
The casino pays the progressive jackpot prize. This is why some smaller casinos avoid supporting the best-paying progressive games online.
Will I receive all my progressive jackpot winnings at once?
That’s up to the casino you join. The biggest sites won’t have problems with this, but smaller sites do, sometimes, pay in instalments.
Can I trust casinos to pay progressive prizes at all?
Assuming you choose one of Go Spin’s recommended casinos, then you can trust casinos to pay out progressive if you land them.
Are there progressive jackpot slots that have never paid out?
Only the newest games. It’s great publicity for software providers and casinos when progressives pay, so most games do so. The newest games are the most likely to take longer to pay out their first rewards, though, as there is a lack of players.
