Progressive jackpot slots are some of the most exciting casino games around. They give players the opportunity to win life changing amounts from a single spin and most are just as jam-packed with features as regular video slots. Plus, you can watch the jackpot soar from afar and the choose to play when it's due to drop. All in all, they're exhilarating, but can also be intimidating.
If you've never played a progressive jackpot slot before, you might be worried about how much they cost to play, how they work and if you're about to lose a lot of money chasing that jackpot. Luckily, today we're sharing some of our favourite progressive jackpot facts with you. These should help answer some of your questions, as well as hopefully encouraging you to give them a try!
1. Each Progressive Jackpot Has A ‘Seed Value'
Every progressive jackpot that you play will have a ‘seed value'. This is the amount of money that the jackpot resets to after it's been claimed. Seed values will vary from slot to slot but, in general, a good progressive jackpot slot will still offer a huge amount, even if someone has just won it.
For instance, IGT's Megajackpots Cleopatra resets to £500,000 immediately after the prize has been claimed. This means that even if you miss out on winning a jackpot when the slot is ‘red hot', you're still going to win a sizeable amount!
2. You Can Track A Jackpot's Likelihood Of Dropping
One of the most exciting things about progressive jackpot slots is that you can see the jackpot soar in real time. As the jackpot grows with every wager, the jackpot figure is constantly rising higher and higher until it's claimed. The fact that you can publicly see the jackpot growing also means you can track it, and work out the likelihood of it dropping some time soon.
There are many websites around that will do the tracking for you, but in general it's calculated by assessing how far over the seed value the jackpot has grown and what the average win has been. So, for instance, if a progressive jackpot usually drops at around £1 million yet it's currently boasting a £1.3 million prize pool, you may call this slot ‘red hot' and know that it's time to give it a spin!
3. There Are Different Types Of Progressive Jackpots
When you play progressive jackpot slots, you may notice that some jackpots are bigger than others. In addition, you may notice that the jackpot amount may be the same even when you play the slot at a different casino. This is because there are different types of progressive jackpot games. Some progressive jackpots may be specific to the casino you visit, whilst some are called ‘network jackpots.'
Network jackpots are the type of progressive jackpot slot you're most likely to come across and they're the most popular too. Network jackpots are linked by a central server, which is usually hosted by the software developer. Each time you play the network jackpot slot, the slot communicates with the server, which means that all players have the possibility of winning the same prize pool.
Network jackpot slots are so popular because they create the biggest prizes. As network jackpot slots are hosted by multiple casinos at the same time, and played all over the world, there's funds being added to the prize pool constantly, meaning these kinds of jackpots can soar to impressive heights.
4. You Can Play In Different Currencies
As mentioned above, network jackpot slots can be played all over the world, with players all competing for the same prize pool. For this reason, progressive jackpots need to allow for the game to be played in different currencies.
The jackpot amount will often be calculated according to current exchange rates and it means that whether you prefer to play in euros or pounds you'll still be able to get involved.
5. Progressive Jackpots Don't Cost More Than Normal Slots
One of the most common misconceptions about progressive jackpots is that they cost more to play than regular video slots. This makes sense to assume, as if there's much bigger prize to be won we'd expect to have to wager more money. However, that's not the case!
Progressive jackpot slots rarely cost more to play than your average game. Whilst there are some jackpot slots which may only allow you to qualify for a shot at the grand prize if you place a larger wager, most games treat every wager equally, meaning that no matter how small your bet, you could still be in with a chance of winning.
6. There Are 14 Progressive Jackpot Slots To Play At GoWin
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f you've read all these facts, and you're feeling excited by the prospect of trying your hand at progressive jackpot slots, then the good news is that, here at GoWin, we currently host 14 progressive jackpot titles.
These games are brought to us by some of the best software developers around, such as NetEnt and Blueprint Gaming, and they also include the incredibly popular MegaJackpots series by IGT, which currently boasts a prize of just under £811,000!