Progressive Jackpot

Slot machines are working behind the screens. Obviously, they are randomly picking numbers for a player to hit. But if you're playing on a slot machine that is connected in a network, they are doing more than just picking. They are saving money for a big payoff called the progressive jackpot. In a word, progressive jackpots give the biggest payoff in any gaming machine. The one who wins would have been a very, very lucky person. Their luck is equal to that of a lottery winner.

For slot machines to be able to dispense these big payoffs they have to be linked. We're not talking about a dozen slot machines; we're talking about hundreds of them. Some are interconnected around the casino establishment; others are spread across multiple establishments. Each of these slots contributes money to the big payoff. When hundreds of players are sliding their coins into the slots at the same time, imagine how these coins grow into millions in just several hours.

The Mighty Jackpot Meter

Whatever the jackpot amounts to, it is always displayed on a meter or a digital ticker tape at the casino. It will all be given away to one person, and one person only. For a player to get it, the combination he gets on his slot reflects the advertised winning tokens. In video poker, that's tantamount to a royal flush, or in most slot machines, five bars, or lemons, or alligators, etc. When the jackpot is won, the meter goes back to zero.

The prize increases every time someone plays a slot that is connected to the network. However, the amount every slot contributes to the giant jackpot would depend on the casino establishment (or the house). For instance, in a 5% house edge, a contribution of 1% is set (or one-fifth of the profit).

The attraction of the linked machine comes from it being a novelty in the house. Usually, only a fraction of slots would be connected to the progressive jackpot. Second, when the jackpot meter is growing, the more players will line up to play the slots; third, of course, is the attraction of the giant amount of money that could be won.

Qualifications

Only players that bet the maximum qualify for the progressive jackpot. However, every wager slid onto the slot would contribute to the prize. As a result, the prize increases despite some people unable to qualify by not playing the maximum bet.

Availability of Jackpots

The three most popular slot machines that are linked together are Megajackpots, Wheel of Fortune and Megabucks. Aside from slot machines, some poker games also offer progressive jackpots that they call "bad beat jackpot". Online casino games like blackjack and roulette also features this prize.