Jackpot Slots: Types of Prize Pools and Tips for Beginners

Jackpot Slots are a popular category of slot machines. It attracts users with the opportunity to receive additional prize money that exceeds the size of the initial bet by hundreds and thousands of times. Many providers are developing such devices. Usually, such slots fall into separate categories of entertainment directories on online casino sites. But in such sections there is no sorting by types of prize pools. Meanwhile, jackpots can be progressive and fixed, random and with activation conditions, local and global.
- Current and fixed prize pools
- Random triggered jackpots with specific conditions
- Local and global jackpots
- Popular progressive jackpot slots
- What else you need to know about jackpots
Cumulative and fixed prize pools
The amount of the jackpot can be fixed by the operator at a certain level. In this case, it is considered fixed. The user will not win more money than the online casino allows. Such jackpots are usually divided into several levels with different activation conditions. The operator determines how often they will fall out. The odds are always different, but usually the probability of the smallest jackpot is from 90-95%, medium - up to 5%, large - up to 1%.

Progressive jackpots have no limits on the maximum amount. The prize fund is constantly replenished due to user bets. The more actively the players spin the reels in the slot and the more money they spend, the larger the final prize pool is. It takes a small percentage of each bet to form it. The fund accumulates until someone fulfills the conditions for activating the jackpot.
The percentage that goes into the prize pool is already included in the initial bet. From above, the user pays nothing extra.
There are also combined jackpots. For example, when the first two levels are fixed, and the main prize is cumulative.
Jackpots with random activation and specific conditions
The probability of the main prize is determined by the RNG, so in fact it always activates randomly. But in the eyes of the user, everything looks a little different. There are several drawing options:
- Random. The jackpot is activated when special symbols appear on the slot field - analogues of scatters to start the bonus game. When the required number of such images appear on the reels, the user receives a payout.
- Conditional. As noted earlier, the rules for activating the jackpot are a formality. But in a number of slot machines, certain conditions must be met in order to receive a prize. In some devices, this is the launch of the wheel of luck and advancement to the center of the circle, in others - the accumulation of special symbols. Since the user knows what is needed to activate the jackpot, he spins the reels with great interest and involvement.
You can view the winning rules in the help section of the slot or on the developer's website.
Local and global jackpots
Getting a fixed prize pool is nice, but it rarely exceeds a few hundred initial bets. That is, in fact, this is just a big win, comparable in size to successful free spins and bonus rounds. Only the cumulative jackpot is considered real - when one successful spin can bring the player a multi-million dollar payout. Most often they are offered in slots that participate in the global jackpot accumulation program.
If the prize fund is formed within a specific slot machine or online casino, it is local. This means that it is accumulated at the expense of user bets on one gambling site.
Global jackpots are attracted by the fact that an entire online casino network, which can include several dozen operators, participates in the draw.

The amount of the global prize pool is often displayed on the home page of an online casino site. By clicking on the number, the user enters the section with slot machines that participate in the drawing.
When someone receives the jackpot, it is reset to zero, and its formation starts anew. This happens on average once every few months.
back to contents ↑Popular slots with progressive jackpots
Dozens of slots support the progressive prize pool feature, but they usually there is no separate category in the entertainment catalog. Therefore, it is worth using the search bar by name to find specific devices. A few popular progressive jackpot releases are listed below.
Name | Provider | RTP, % |
---|---|---|
Mega Moolah | Microgaming | 88.12 |
Arabian Nights | NetEnt | 96.25 |
Mega Fortune 914 | NetEnt | 96 |
Cosmic Fortune | NetEnt | 96.9 |
These devices participate in the global jackpot program. That is, the prize fund of the latter is formed not within the framework of one online casino, but in the whole network. Due to this, the amount of potential payout often exceeds the $10 million mark.
back to index ↑What else you need to know about jackpots
The opportunity to receive prizes that can provide a comfortable life for many years is what makes millions of players around the world launch machines every day. But, before you make a deposit and open a jackpot slot, there are a few more things to be clear:
- The chance of winning is very small. If we talk about progressive prize pools, then the probability of getting them comparable to the lottery. Such big online casino wins happen once in a million.
- The results of the spins are not related to each other. Many players mistakenly believe that the longer their losing streak lasts, the higher chance to hit the jackpot. Actually it is not. In slots, everything is decided by the random number generator, and the results of individual spins do not depend on each other.
- The jackpot is already included in the RTP. The casino always wins. This rule is embedded in the mechanics ofjackpot slots. The return level of the device remains fixed, even despite the presence of a progressive prize pool. Therefore, at a distance, the jackpot may reduce the benefits of regular spins.
Large prize pools should be taken only as an additional way to get bright emotions and enjoy the game. There is no need to calculate the jackpot and wait for its activation. The only exceptions to this rule are fixed tiered amounts, the chances of which are much higher than accumulative prize pools.