Casino Jackpots: Meaning and Statistics

Gamblers stake and win something in return. But you would know you have cracked a jackpot when the win is over the top. But how does it all work, and what decides the prize money?

A jackpot pool is accumulated with a part of the stake the player makes on a single game or a group of games. Playing the progressive pool game can strike the jackpot randomly.

Some progressive jackpots also pay guaranteed prizes after a specified time or when it has reached a particular pool amount, which the provider never reveals. There are three broad types of progressive jackpot systems. Let`s look at them closer.

Standalone Progressive Jackpot

A single slot can have a standalone progressive jackpot which any player can win. The prize of such jackpots can reach somewhere around $10,000, depending on your winning odds. This pool is not linked to multiple slots or more than one casino.

Local Progressive Jackpot

There could be a local progressive set by the casino or a particular provider. A provider’s stake on specific games can contribute to the jackpot pool. The jackpot prize in a local progressive can go up to $100,000.

Network Progressive Jackpot

The top wins come with the network progressive jackpots, collected from all bets made on a particular slot or slot series with linked jackpots across casinos. In other words, every person betting on the linked jackpot games contributes to the pool, irrespective of the site they are playing at. It makes network progressive slot jackpots reach millions of dollars.

Multi-Level Progressive Jackpots

Games that feature multiple levels of prizes attract users with multi-level jackpots. By increasing the bet amount, players unlock more types of available jackpots: Mini, Minor, Major, and Mega. Each of these levels has a corresponding prize, making it possible for players to win multiple jackpots within a single game. Great examples of multi-level jackpots are the Mega Moolah slot and 88 Fortunes.

Tracking Progressive Jackpots

Keeping track of the available jackpot and prize money is no easy feat. And so our experts ease out your job by tracking the most important information, including:

• Available jackpots from top providers
• Jackpot pool size
• Popular online casinos hosting big jackpots
• Daily up or yearly data and analytics
• Graphical aids to data analysis
• Average wins

Progressive jackpot tracker helps track the bets made on multiple gaming sites and keeps updating the statistics. With that information handy, you can pick the site that seems the best or the game paying well to have better chances of striking a jackpot. Similarly, you can know how many players are playing a particular game and provide data and analytics, such as the growth rate of the jackpot pool within a time, and help you compare if the pool fares better or worse than the average jackpot size. You can set your specific currency preference to view this data.

Reading Jackpot Thermometers

Some casinos feature a jackpot thermometer, through which players can know if a machine has recently paid out a jackpot or not for a long time. The prize pool of a jackpot that hasn’t been paid for a long time is going to be big. A high rating on the thermometer indicates mounting prize pools, while a low rating means the jackpot is around the seed or the base amount. These thermometers assign a certain likeness to trigger the jackpot. For example, a slot machine with a thermometer rating of 80 out of 100 would mean that the possibility of winning it is quite high.

Pros	Cons
The jackpot thermometer encourages players to try different machines.	It doesn’t account for the volatility of the game.
It saves time and money by not playing on a machine whose chances of winning a jackpot are quite low.	You can start avoiding your favourite pokies, which have lower rates, and end up playing machines you don’t enjoy.
The possibility of triggering the jackpot increases.

Jackpot thermometers are an interesting way to track the prize pools of jackpots and can be a helpful tool when making decisions about where to play. However, any decisions should be made based on a combination of criteria. So, keep reading to find out more useful tips!

Choosing Between a Hot Jackpot Slot or a Cold One

It is a concept related to jackpot thermometers. So, if a pokie has paid out recently, gamblers would call it a cold slot, while if it is brimming with money, it`s considered to be hot due to potential payout. Jackpot thermometers display the hotness quotient of a game. However, this is just for the terminology. Whether a slot is hot or cold does not define if it will pay the next day or not for a year. So, there is no real guarantee of winning by knowing about these parameters. The Random Number Generator (RNG) mechanism governs the jackpot, just like the result of each slot spin. So, it`s impossible to predict the outcome of the game.

Average Time Between Jackpot Payouts

Jackpot thermometers help establish patterns for the jackpot wins. These patterns might indicate that the jackpot strikes at a particular size or after a constant average time. For example, many online casino jackpots pay between $1m and $3m. The amount of time it takes to hit the jackpot varies from game to game. Some games may have a smaller jackpot and payout more frequently, while others may offer larger prizes but less frequently. This depends on the volatility of the game. Considering this factor will help you to choose your gaming strategy and stick to it. If you prefer small but frequent winnings you should look for slots with low volatility. On the other hand, if you feel like hitting a massive jackpot you should choose high-volatility slots. We recommend you start with smaller bets to see how the pokie works and then increase your stake gradually. Based on our experts` observation and slot machine statistics, the average length between jackpots is anywhere from weeks to months, depending on the specific game. To increase your winning odds you can also research all available promotions and welcome bonus packages of the chosen casino. Some benefits at the beginning of your game won`t be redundant.

Top Progressive Jackpot Payers

Progressive jackpots are a great way to win big prizes, and top progressive jackpot payers can really help you get there. We have prepared a list of top providers and slots which are currently available.

• Dream Drop Mega Jackpot: This jackpot recently won a player €2.4 million in March 2023. Players can enjoy slots like Temple Tumble 2 and some other products from Relax Gaming to trigger the five-level jackpot.
• Wow Pot Mega Jackpot: With a higher seed amount of €2 million, players got to love WowPot Progressive from Microgaming. Players can play many exciting slots to hit this progressive, such as Sherlock and Moriarty, Queen of Alexandria, Book of Atem, and Sisters of Oz. It is a four-tier jackpot.
• Mega Moolah: There are multiple releases under the Mega Moolah fraternity, and other Microgaming titles. Atlantean Treasures and Fortunium Gold also add to the pool. The jackpot pool consists of four levels, and the prize is delivered with a Wheel of Fortune-style bonus game. Mega Moolah Progressive has delivered prizes worth one billion dollars to date.
• Age of Gods: This is a massive four-level jackpot from Playtech. The Age of Gods series includes slots inspired by Greek mythology, like the King of Olympus and Goddess of Wisdom. The jackpot is instigated with a bonus game.
• Mega Fortune Dreams: There is a three-level jackpot with Mega, Major, and Rapid Category players can bag when playing the Mega Fortune Dreams slot from NetEnt. A bonus game is triggered within the slot that awards the big prize. The jackpot cracked a €4.3 million prize in 2019.

Other Jackpots

Now that you know the most popular types of jackpots and all the crucial moments related to them, it`s time to choose your game and give it a shot. We recommend starting the game with the demo mode to get used to the slot’s rules, practice different strategies and learn terms and conditions. Following are some slots you can try to grab significant jackpots.

Slot Game	Provider	RTP	Maximum Win
MegaJackpots Cleopatra	IGT	91% (ranges)	9,950x
Divine Fortune	NetEnt	96.59%	600x
Beach Life	Playtech	93.25%	50,000x
Big Bass Bonanza	Pragmatic Play	96.71%	2,100x
Irish Pot Luck	NetEnt	96.06%	5,000x
Fruit Fiesta	Games Global	96.94% (ranges)	555x
King Cashalot	Games Global	91%	15,000x
Mercy of the Gods	NetEnt	96.64%	1,600x
Fairest of Them All	Playtech	90%	50,000x
Joker Millions	Yggdrasil Gaming	94.3%	2,500x
Temple of Wealth	Play’n Go	96.20% (ranges)	5,000x
Rainbow Jackpots	Red Tiger Gaming	96.15% (ranges)	1,054x
Reign of Ice	Playtech Origins	96.07%	300x
Bankin Bacon	Blueprint	95% (ranges)	50,000x
Jackpot Giant	Playtech	91.25%	50,000x
Mega Fortune	NetEnt	96%	80,000x
Aztec’s Millions	Real Time Gaming	95%	50,000x
Hall of Gods	NetEnt	95.3%	1,200x
Wolf Gold	Pragmatic Play	96,01% (ranges)	2,500x
Jackpot Pinatas Deluxe	Real Time Gaming	95%	20,000x

What to Expect in Progressive Jackpots Trends

With the mounting craze of gambling, providers offering progressive jackpot slots are increasing daily. As more players have started to bet online, the number of jackpot games and prize pools has also risen significantly. It also means if a pokie is hot and many players are spinning it at a time, the possibility of cracking the jackpot increases. Now, there are different rules laid out by providers and casinos when paying out the jackpot prize. Providers like Microgaming pay their Mega Moolah jackpots in a lump sum, while some others pay the prize in instalments, and some in over a decade. Some sites have maximum monthly withdrawal caps, so they do not have to immediately shell out a huge sum. We recommend you study the terms and conditions page of the casino when playing a jackpot game to avoid disappointment if you are lucky enough to hit the jackpot. With the increasing popularity of the gambling industry, we can assume that more and more casinos will be offering jackpot games, so we recommend you find one that suits your playing style.