Progressive Jackpots

Progressive jackpots are popular in many casino games, both online and offline. These special jackpots allow players to win massive amounts of money, often reaching millions. The concept behind progressive jackpots is relatively straightforward: a portion of each bet placed is added to the jackpot pool. As more and more players place their bets, the jackpot continues to grow until a lucky player wins.

But what makes progressive jackpots so alluring? One reason is the potential for huge payouts. With every bet contributing towards the jackpot, its size can quickly reach staggering levels. Additionally, many progressive jackpot games are linked across multiple casinos. It means that even more players contribute to the jackpot, increasing its size and potential payout. Another factor is the excitement and anticipation it creates. That could be seen recently with Relax Gaming's Dream Drop Jackpot, which created a buzz in the gaming world when it was about to get its winner.

There is no doubt that progressive jackpots are a significant draw for players. Their ever-increasing size and potential for huge payouts make them a thrilling and enticing option for those looking to test their luck. Now, we will deeply dive into the fascinating world of progressive jackpots. We will explore its history, biggest wins, and the top progressive jackpots today. So let's get started!

History of Progressive Jackpots

Progressive jackpots have been around for decades, with the first one introduced in land-based casinos in the late 1980s. The first progressive slot machine was Megabucks, which was developed by International Game Technology (IGT) in 1986. With every play that did not result in a jackpot win, a portion of the wager would be added to the main jackpot, causing it to grow without limit. On February 1, 1987, a lucky player won the first progressive jackpot, which amounted to an astonishing $4,988,842.17. 

In the mid-1990s, online gaming exploded, and the first online progressive jackpots started to arise. Over the years, progressive jackpots have continued to evolve and grow in popularity. With advancements in online technology and increasing player demand, progressive jackpots have only become more extensive and enticing, with some reaching into the tens of millions of euros.

What Is a Progressive Jackpot?

A progressive jackpot is a type of jackpot that increases each time the game is played until the jackpot is won. Every time someone plays the game, a percentage of the bet increases the prize pool. As more and more people play, the jackpot grows bigger until someone finally wins it.

The Difference Between Fixed Jackpots and Progressive Jackpots

Fixed and progressive jackpots are chances for the player to win a large sum of money. However, players should know some key differences between these two types of jackpots.

Firstly, let's define what a fixed jackpot is. A jackpot is a fixed amount of money the player can win if it hits a specific combination of symbols or numbers. The fixed jackpot amount remains the same every time the game is played and does not change. As we mentioned before, the progressive jackpot works differently. It can still be won by hitting a specific combination, but unlike fixed jackpots, the amount of money in a progressive jackpot increases every time the game is played. It means that the longer the jackpot goes without being won, the larger it becomes.

Another critical difference between jackpots and progressive jackpots is how they are funded. The casino or game developer supports fixed jackpots. On the other hand, progressive jackpots are funded by a small percentage of every player's bet.

Are you more into fixed jackpots than progressive ones? An example of a grand fixed jackpot is the video slot Cygnus 3 from ELK Studios. It has three fixed jackpots ranging from the Sky jackpot of €1000 to the Star, awarding €10 000, and the epic Cygnus jackpot of €100 000. If you want to play a game with live-changing wins without a jackpot attached, a great one is Tombstone RIP från Nolimit City, which has the most significant non-jackpot win at 300,000X the bet. 

The Biggest Progressive Jackpots Wins Online

Here is a list of the top 10 wins online on progressive jackpots:

1. WowPot Mega, December 20, 2023, €38.4 million
2. Mega Moolah Mega, January 30, 2019, €20 million
3. Mega Moolah Mega, April 27, 2021, €19.4 million
4. Mega Moolah Mega, September 28, 2018, €18,9 million
5. Mega Fortune, January 20, 2013, €17,8 million
6. Mega Moolah Mega, April 5, 2020, €16,4 million
7. WowPot Mega, April 14, 2021, €15,1 million
8. Mega Moolah Mega, August 17, 2020, €14,6 million
9. Mega Moolah Mega, May 8, 2020, €13,6 million
10. Mega Moolah Mega, October 6, 2015, €13,2 million

Video Slots With Progressive Jackpots

There are several exciting progressive jackpots out there with life-changing wins, and next, we will review some of the most popular ones on the market.

Mega Moolah

The Mega Moolah progressive jackpot, developed by Microgaming (now known as Games Global), has become a household name in online gaming. Since its debut in 2006, this legendary jackpot has been responsible for creating numerous millionaires and breaking countless world records. With a total payout of over £597 million and an average win of £5.7 million, it's no surprise that Mega Moolah has become one of the most sought-after progressive jackpots. The largest payout to date is £19.4 million, making it one of the biggest single wins in online gaming history. On average, players can expect to win the jackpot every 46 days, with an average payout of £5.7 million. One of the games featuring this jackpot is Mega Moolah and you can read more about this game in our full Mega Moolah game review.

Dream Drop

The leading game provider, Relax Gaming, has developed the progressive jackpot Dream Drop. There are five levels of the progressive Dream Drop Jackpot, and they are: MEGA: Start Value €500,000, First Must Win Level €1,000,000, MAJOR: Start Value €25,000, Must Win Level €50,000, MAXI: Start Value €100, MIDI: Start Value €5, and RAPID: Start Value €1. With the Mega Jackpot increasing by 500k euros every two wins, up to a cap of 3 million euros, there's a lot of excitement to be found. The latest drop was an amazing €2,997,688.

Mega Jackpot (Mega Fortune)

Mega Fortune is another progressive jackpot game developed by NetEnt that allows players to win mind-boggling amounts of money. The starting jackpot for Mega Fortune is 150,000 euros, but lucky players have walked away with millions in their pockets after hitting the jackpot. On average, the amount won by players on Mega Fortune is a staggering 3,9 million euros. However, the biggest win in the history of this game stands at an incredible 17,8 million euros. Furthermore, the average time to hit the jackpot is approximately 12 weeks and four days. You can read more about this game in our full Mega Fortune game review.

WowPot!

Another great progressive jackpot from Games Global is WowPot!. To this date, it has paid out an astonishing £17,529,047 as its largest single payout and a total of £165,490,996 across all its games. The average win is an impressive £5,620,575, and the average time between wins is 260 days. Recently, WowPot! made history by awarding the most significant online slot jackpot of €38.4 million on Wheel of Wishes.

Jackpot Giant

Jackpot Giant by Playtech is another great progressive jackpot. This game lives up to its name with an average win of €5,189,611 and the most significant recorded win at an incredible €10,710,483. On average, the jackpot hits after two years and four weeks.

Global mega-jackpot  (Empire Fortune and Joker Millions)

The Global mega-jackpot from  Yggdrasil is a huge jackpot with an average amount won at €18,109, while the biggest recorded win was an impressive €68,374. On average, it takes players around three weeks and four days to win significantly in this game. Empire Fortune is one of the games where the jackpot I featured and it is a popular slot launched in 2016. One of the main highlights of Empire Fortune is its jackpot wheel.

Jackpot King

Jackpot King, launched in the spring of 2016 by Blueprint Gaming and tied to an ever-expanding series of games, including popular titles like Diamond Jackpots, Buffalo Rising Megaways, Deal or No Deal Megaways, Irish Riches Megaways, Mars Attacks, and The Naked Gun. It is a so-called "local" jackpot rather than a "network-wide" pooled jackpot. It means that each casino offering the game has its private pool for the jackpot, resulting in varying jackpot values depending on where the game is played.

Since its launch, Jackpot King has recorded two wins, the biggest being an impressive $4,623,276 and the second winning $2,003,288. The average time for a player to hit the jackpot is approximately two years and 48 weeks.

King Millions

Another new progressive jackpot from Games Global is the King Millions jackpot. It was launched in 2023 and has two jackpots attached to it. One of them is the grand jackpot which has prizes in the millions and a starting amount of one million. The other one is the grand jackpot that has the potential for winnings of over 30 million. It starts at two million and is expected to hit every 30 months. You can find the King Millions jackpot in the slots Hyper Strike King Millions and the soon-to-released game 9 Pots of Gold King Millions.

Conclusion

Progressive jackpots are popular among players due to their potential for massive payouts. Games Global's jackpot Mega Moolah is probably the most well-known, with the highest wins, but there are several others from top providers like Dream Drop from Relax Gaming or Divine Fortune from NetEnt. All of the progressive jackpots from different game providers offer various sizes of winnings, where some pay out more often and smaller winnings, and some pay out more rarely but with more significant winnings.

Progressive jackpots offer the chance to win life-changing wins and keep players engaged and on the edge of their seats. Who knows, you could be the next lucky winner to hit the jackpot and join the ranks of those who have won millions playing progressive jackpots. Happy spinning!