How does a progressive jackpot work, and which games have them?

A progressive jackpot is a special kind of jackpot found in various online casino games that grows larger each time a player places a bet. Unlike a fixed jackpot, which remains constant, a progressive jackpot accumulates until one lucky player hits the winning combination. The unique aspect of a progressive jackpot is that it can reach immense amounts, sometimes even life-changing sums.

TOP Slots That Offer Progressive Jackpots

Here’s a list of popular progressive jackpot slots that you can find at the top UK online casinos:

1. Mega Moolah (Microgaming)
2. Hall of Gods (NetEnt)
3. Jackpot Jester 50,000
4. Age of the Gods series (Playtech)
5. Major Millions (Microgaming)
6. Arabian Nights (NetEnt)
7. Mega Fortune (NetEnt)
8. Divine Fortune (NetEnt)
9. Wheel of Wishes (Microgaming)
10. King Cashalot (Microgaming)

These slots offer a range of progressive jackpots, from standalone to networked pools.

What are the best sites to play online slots with a progressive jackpot pool? BritishGambler.co.uk recommends the bet365 Games, Grosvenor Casino, 10bet and new sites like the Vic.

Progressives Described

One of the most well-known progressive jackpots is Mega Moolah by Microgaming. This game is an example of a wide-area progressive jackpot, where multiple casinos connect to a single network. 

Players across different platforms contribute to the same jackpot pool with every spin, which explains how the prize can quickly climb into the millions. Every time a player spins the reels in Mega Moolah, a small percentage of their bet goes into the jackpot pool. The game offers four different progressive jackpots: Mini, Minor, Major, and Mega, with the Mega Jackpot being the largest. The jackpot can be triggered randomly after any spin.

A different kind of progressive jackpot can be found in Hall of Gods by NetEnt, which features a network or in-house progressive jackpot. Here, the progressive prize is linked only to a specific group of casinos that offer NetEnt games rather than a wide-area network. In Hall of Gods, players can trigger the jackpot by landing three bonus symbols on the reels, which takes them to a special bonus round. 

In this round, players use Thor’s hammer to smash shields to reveal jackpot symbols. The goal is to match three identical symbols to win either the Mini, Midi, or Mega jackpot. The size of these jackpots grows as more players within that network play the game, though the pool is usually smaller than a wide-area progressive like Mega Moolah.

Then there are standalone progressives, where the jackpot is linked to a single game or machine, independent of any network or casino group. Jackpot Jester 50,000 is an example of a standalone progressive slot. The game has a traditional feel, with classic fruit symbols and a 3×3 grid layout. 

In Jackpot Jester 50,000, the jackpot is tied directly to the gameplay of that specific machine, and only the bets placed on that particular game contribute to the progressive jackpot. Players must land a specific combination of symbols on the highest stakes to win, and the jackpot resets to its base value after winning. While the jackpot amounts for standalone progressives are typically smaller than those for networked jackpots, due to fewer participants, they offer a higher chance of being won by a single player.

Another interesting example of a progressive online jackpot is found in Playtech’s Age of the Gods series, which features multiple games connected to the same jackpot pool, representing a mix between standalone and networked progressives. In these games, players have the chance to win one of four progressive jackpots: Power, Extra, Super, and Ultimate Power at any point during gameplay. The jackpot round is triggered randomly, regardless of the player’s bet size, and takes them to a separate screen where they must match three identical jackpot symbols to win. The jackpots build up fairly quickly since multiple games contribute to the same pool.