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Progressive slot machines were introduced to the gaming market in 1986 by American slot machine manufacturer, International Gaming Technology (IGT). Until then, a slot machine payout would be limited to the amount set by the casino.

The progressive angle allowed the total available jackpot to increase with every bet contributed by a player, minus the amount taken by the casino to preserve the house edge.

But because the original progressive slots were still limited to one machine at a time, payouts remained modest compared to what they would become.

What revolutionized progressive slot play and the gaming industry as a whole was the networking of progressive machines. There are two types of progressive networks – local and wide-area.

Local area progressives provide larger potential jackpots than the original stand-alone machine because the contributions of all machines on the network add to the payout potential of one machine. However, because the local-area network may only contain up to a hundred machines, payouts usually do not exceed $100 000.

Big slot play these days requires wide-area progressive networks. As you have guessed, wide-area progressive machines are linked to a much greater number of machines, which include machines from other casinos across the state and sometimes across the country. For gamblers playing in states with a rich gaming culture, like Nevada or Pennsylvania, this means high jackpot potential, indeed!

To date, the largest progressive jackpot payout (and therefore the largest payout in slots history) took place at the Las Vegas Excalibur, on March 21, 2003. The largest in Las Vegas history, a software engineer spent $100 on IGT's Megabucks and won a total of $39 710 896.36, beating odds of 16.7 million against.

The following is a list of 7 of the best progressive slot machines in the world today.

1. Megabucks

First on the list is IGT Interactive's Megabucks. The first wide-area progressive machine to become available, Megabucks is still in very wide use. The Megabucks is a dollar slot game, with $3 bets required to qualify for the maximum jackpot. The jackpot base amount is $10 million, and once the progressive payout is made the machine is reset to the base.

The Megabucks has been the machine on record for some of the largest payouts in slot gaming history, including the aforementioned, number one ranked $39 million. As of this date, the latest Megabucks jackpot was hit on March 22, 2016 at the Gold Dust West Casino in Elko, Nevada, paying over $12.5 million. Between 1994 through 2009, Megabucks paid out a total of $1,239,830,000 in winnings, an annual average of $77 489 375. Winners have a choice between taking the entire payout in one sum or having it distributed over a 25-year period in annual installments.

Be aware that Megabucks gaming is available solely in Nevada. However, visitors to Nevada will have no problem finding a Megabucks machine to try their luck on. There are many dozens of casinos in and around the Las Vegas and Reno areas that employ Megabucks machines. According to a2zlasvegas website, Megabucks jackpot hits have been averaging 1 a year for the past few years, with the most number of jackpots topping 3 per year. However, with winnings consistently worth well over $10 million, Megabucks continues to attract the crowds.

2. Wheel of Fortune Slots

Fans of the famous game show will feel at home with the Wheel of Fortune. Atop the machine is the iconic 'Wheel' which is spun with every press of the button, accompanied with the game show theme music.

Produced by IGT, Wheel of Fortune games come with options of 25c, $1 and $5 betting levels. Wheel of Fortune Quarter requires 3 coins, or 75c bets, to qualify for jackpot hits. After a hit, the jackpot level is reset to $200 000. Of the Wheel of Fortune variations, the 25c version pays out smallest but more often, averaging the past several years at least one jackpot payout per month. A few of which paying over $1 million.

The Wheel of Fortune Dollar is a dollar slot that requires a $2 bet to qualify for the jackpot. Winners may also choose to receive payouts in 25 annual installments. The base is set at $1 million and the machine is reset to the base upon a jackpot hit. As of this date, the latest Wheel of Fortune $1 jackpot was hit on June 9, 2016 at the upscale Red Rock Casino and Spa in Las Vegas for $ 1,240,398.97.

Though these jackpots are considerably smaller than its Megabucks cousin, Wheel of Fortune Dollar does pay out more often. According to a2zlasvegas website, over the past two years there have been 17 jackpot payouts, all worth well over $1 million. Still enough jackpot to have made it worthwhile!

Wheel of Fortune Five Dollar is a $5 slot machine that requires two coins, or $10 bets, to qualify for the jackpot. After a jackpot hit the base is reset to $1 million. Winners have the option to receive payouts in annual installments.

Of the Wheel of Fortune slot franchise, and not unsurprisingly, the Five Dollar pays out least often, with jackpots ranging from one to no more than a handful per year, over the past 15 years. However, payouts are typically well over $1 million, while a few have exceeded $3 million.

3. Saturday Night Live Slots

Saturday Night Live by Bally Gaming is one of the Bally's more popular slots, due largely to the variations between versions of the game and the potential for high bonuses and networked progressive jackpots. Typically, the jackpot will start at $10 000 on individual machines and proceed. However, some machines are linked to local or wide-area networks increasing the payout potential considerably.

Examples on variations include The Church Lady, which offers a Canned Ham and Church Hat bonus play. Another version is Wayne's World that has a Guitar feature that provides up to 15 times the bet's value and an Offer feature that can multiply your bet's value by 1000. Thus, the potential for huge jackpot payouts.

4. Sex and the City Slots

IGT's Sex and the City slots have been a big hit in Vegas, perhaps partly due to the popular TV show from which it derives its name and brand. These slots have acquired a reputation for attracting single women, perhaps because of the show's audience and identity. It will help to be a big fan of the show to get most enjoyment from the play experience. Because of this, Sex and the City's manufacturer – IGT – went all out to create a very visually appealing machine with all the show's themes and icons a fan would expect.

Another reason may be the fact they are technically penny slots, and so a play can cost much less than the other progressive slot games mentioned in this list. Sex and the City slots are also 4 in 1 games, offering a lot of variation in play. However, for maximum play experience, it is required to play all four screens at once. Since each play per screen is 50c a maximum play is $2, which is getting up into maximum progressive wide-area slot play.

The game offers nine bonus rounds where a player may enhance winnings. Each round is represented by a particular character from the show with show-themed scenarios, like Mr. Big or shopping for shoes. Fans of the series won't want to miss this one.

5. Millionaire 777s

Millionaire 777s have the reputation for providing more frequent payouts, with a chance to win $1 million every 107 spins. The base jackpot is $1 million and is returned to that after a jackpot hit. The most recent jackpot hit occurred April 8, 2015 at the California Hotel and Casino, for $1,168,555.17.

6. Powerbucks

Powerbucks is a wide-area linked progressive slot game that links machines in Nevada with machines in South Dakota and New Jersey.

As of this date, the most recent Powerbucks jackpot was hit June 2, 2015, at Orleans Hotel and Casino, for just over $1.35 million.

7. Quartermania

Quartermania is a progressive slot game that is linked within a wide-area system to casinos in Nevada and New Jersey. It can be found within a few dozen casinos in and around Las Vegas. Quartermania is a game that allows for more frequent play due to lower required bets but can still provide a whopping payout. The highest payout is over $178 000 and the most recent was on April 4, 2016 at the Tropicana in Atlantic City.

Conclusion

Wide-area progressive slots have gained the reputation of providing life-changing payouts and are typically well over $1 million. For this reason, the area around linked progressive machines tends to be one of the busiest in a casino, electric with the lights and sounds of the bells and the anticipation of extravagant winnings. If you decide to play a progressive slot you will notice the winnings potential increase in large, brightly lit numbers on the front. This adds to the excitement of progressive slot machine play.

Of course, also adding to the excitement is the knowledge that you, as the player, are not only competing against the odds set by the random number generator that exists inside each machine, but also against other players. Since there can be many thousands of machines connected to a wide-area network, including systems that extend both through-out and across state lines, you could be playing simultaneously with many thousands of players – all going for the same jackpot. In odds terms, the mathematical probability of hitting the jackpot is roughly 1 in 49 836 032, calculated in 1999 by Jack Robison.

One thing however, to be aware of is the minimum required bet. Most progressive machines require a minimum bet for each play in order for the player to qualify for the maximum jackpot. For example, if the minimum bet is a $2 coin and you play a $1 coin, and win, your bet did not qualify you for the available progressive jackpot. The result is you may still have a nice payout – say, $5000 – even if the potential payout was in the millions.

As you can imagine this could be quite a shock if you thought you were playing for the maximum jackpot. Don't worry though. Each machine should clearly state what the minimum bet is in order to qualify for the progressive jackpot. If you cannot find the information on the front of the machine, check the machine's 'Help' menu. Failing that, ask an attendant to show you where the minimum bet is located in writing. I do not recommend asking a fellow player as they may also be misled.

Progressive slots over wide-area networks offer the responsible gambler yet another thrill in his or her casino gameplay. As ever, budget aside a reasonable and affordable bankroll, monitor the time spent and you can spend an enjoyable hour or so always one bet away from making gaming history and going home truly rich.

If you have ever seen an advertisement for a casino that had huge amounts (often in the millions) offered as top payouts you have probably seen games with a progressive jackpot. Keep reading to learn what a progressive jackpot is, how they work, different types of progressives, and where you can find them.

What Are Progressive Jackpots?

Progressive jackpots are amounts offered as the top payouts for particular casino games that continue climbing until a player wins. They are available on a wide range of games, but the most common ones are tied to slot machines.

They tend to run from thousands of dollars all the way up to millions of dollars. Progressive jackpot games are available at online casinos as well as in land-based casinos.

Most progressive jackpot games require maximum wagers to be eligible for the jackpot amount. So if you hit whatever the required combination or hand is to win the progressive but haven’t wagered the correct amount you won’t win the progressive.

This would have to be one of the absolute worst feelings in the world so make sure you both understand the minimum wagering requirements to be eligible for the progressive and are always betting at that level or higher when you play on a progressive game.

The most common example of this is a video poker game with a progressive jackpot. On most machines, you have to wager five coins to unlock the top payouts. So if you are playing a quarter video poker machine the total bet at five coins would be $1.25 per hand.

If you bet less than this and hit the top paying hand you will only win the amount listed for your number of coins, not the progressive jackpot. If you aren’t comfortable betting as much, you should play for a lower amount per coin.

You may be able to play the same video poker game in a nickel machine, making your bet .25 for a five-coin wager. Many slot machines have the same ability to play for a lower amount per line.

How Progressive Jackpots Work

Progressive jackpots build over time until a player wins them, then they reset to a predetermined level and start building again. The way they build is by taking a percentage of every bet made on the game the progressive jackpot is associated with and adding it to the jackpot amount.

Here’s a fictitious example so you can see exactly how a progressive jackpot works. The example uses numbers that are easy to compute for the purpose of this page. These numbers are not necessarily representative of a real-life progressive game but are an accurate representation of the mechanics.

We’ll use a slot machine with an attached progressive jackpot as an example. The slot machine takes 10% of every wager and places it in the progressive jackpot amount. After the jackpot is won the amount is reset to $100,000. The reset amount is generally accumulated from the contributions to the overall progressive jackpot.

In this example, 1% is used to fund the next reset amount and 9% goes straight to the progressive amount until $100,000 is accumulated in the reset account. Once the $100,000 is accumulated the entire 10% is used for the climbing jackpot. Another way this can be handled is the casino or software provider, whoever is running the progressive, fronts the $100,000 and the 10% goes toward that until it is taken care of.

Then the progressive will continue growing. There are a few other ways the reset amount can be handled, but the important thing to know is the seed amount is taken from the wagers on the game just like the progressive amount.

Continuing with our example, you are playing for a total cost per spin of $2.50. In this case .25 of each spin is contributed to the progressive jackpot amount and $2.25 is handled just like it is on a non-progressive machine. The other pay outs and the profit from the machine are taken from this second amount.

A common misunderstanding is the belief that the casinos are taking a huge cut of the progressive jackpots. The casinos tend to make more money on large progressive jackpot machines, but not because they are getting a cut of the jackpot. Generally, they pay out 100% of the jackpot between the jackpot amount and the reset amount.

Wide Area Progressive Slot Machines

The reason they can make more profit on the largest progressive jackpot games is because of the extra players who are trying to hit the big win. The media coverage picks up when jackpots get high and it increases the number of players. The additional profit comes from the second amount ($2.25) in our example.

For example, if the machine in our example is set to pay out 90% over time, the casino will make 22.5 (twenty two and a half) cents per bet. So here is the complete breakdown of a $2.50 wager on the slot machine in question.

What are the Differences Between a Local and Wide Area Progressive Jackpot

From a player’s perspective, there really isn’t a big difference between a local progressive jackpot and a wide area progressive jackpot. A wide area progressive jackpot is also sometimes called a linked jackpot and some progressives are called a bank. The wide area jackpot tends to build faster because there are more players, but the mechanics of how the jackpots build are the same.

A wide area progressive jackpot is one shared across games, usually slot machines, across a range of properties. For example, you might find the same progressive slot machine games in numerous land-based casinos or in online casinos running the same software platform. If they are part of a wide area progressive they each feed into the same jackpot and payout from the same jackpot pool.

Wide Area Progressive Slots

When there are hundreds or even thousands of players playing the same machines at the same time the progressive amount is bound to go up faster than local progressives.

A local progressive jackpot is one that is usually tied to a single game. An example that many players have seen of a local progressive is a progressive game of Caribbean Stud poker. The progressive is usually only tied to the individual game or group of the particular games at the particular casino.

In other words, if the casino has three tables offering Caribbean Stud, all three will more than likely share the same progressive, but no games outside of them will contribute. Note that the three games do not have to share the same jackpot. They can have three separate progressive jackpots.

You will also run into a bank of slot machines in land-based casinos that share a progressive jackpot. These machines don’t share a jackpot with any slots not included in the bank of machines.

If you are wondering where the line is drawn between local and wide area progressive games, in my mind if the game is linked to games offered at other casinos, either land-based or online, it is a wide area. If it is tied to a single game or a group of games in the same casino it is a local progressive.

Of course, it does go back to the first part of this section in the fact it doesn’t really matter for players. All that matters is how big the jackpot is and what you have to do to qualify for it.

What Types of Games Can Have Progressive Jackpots?

The most common types of games that have progressive jackpots are slot machines. While the slots that are most likely to have progressives are the newer video slots with multiple pay lines, often with bonus rounds and other features, progressives can be found on all types of machines.

I’ve seen progressives on just about any type of slot machines that you can think of, including three reel machines. I have also seen progressive jackpots tied to video poker machines and table games.

Though it really goes beyond the scope of this page, when you consider playing a video poker game with a progressive jackpot compare the paytable of the progressive machine and a non-progressive one. The progressive video poker game is almost always a worse paytable than the non-progressive one.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t play the progressive machine, because sometimes the progressive amount will get high enough that it is actually a profitable game to play.

An actual example of this that I have seen many times is Jacks or Better. The best Jacks or Better machines are called 9 / 6 machines, offering 9 coin payouts for a full house and 6 coin payouts for a flush. The progressive jacks or better games tend to only pay 8 coins for a full house and 5 coins for a flush.

Common table games with progressive jackpots include Caribbean Stud Poker, roulette and Let it Ride. Theoretically, just about any table game can be tied to a progressive jackpot. Most of the ones that have progressives have them tied to a side bet.

A common example is a $1 side bet. It’s up to each player whether he or she places the progressive jackpot side bet. I have even seen more than one table game tied to the same progressive jackpot.

Oregon Area Progressives

For example, a casino could have their Caribbean Stud and Let it Ride progressives together. This can create higher jackpots faster as more people are contributing to the jackpots.

Are There Progressive Jackpots Online and Off?

You’ll find great progressive jackpot games both online and at land-based casinos. Anything the casinos can do to get more people to play they will usually do and huge progressive jackpots help get players in the door or in the virtual door.

So as long as progressive jackpots continue helping the casino make money you will continue to find them at all different kinds of casinos.

Popular Progressive Jackpot Games

Here is a table with some of the most popular progressive jackpot games both online and off. The amounts continue to climb and reset, so the popularity of these games goes up and down with the amount of the top payouts.

These are just a few of the hundreds of possible progressive jackpots so if you don’t see any you like, just take a quick look around at your favorite casino. You are sure to find plenty of other options.

Should I Play Progressive Jackpot Games?

This is a question that only you can answer. There are progressive jackpots that are life changing amounts, but the odds of ever winning one are so high that millions of players will never hit one in their life. But many players view all of their gambling as entertainment expense and don’t really count on winning anything in the long run.

If you have the money to play with and can view your gambling as an entertainment expense, then, by all means, try to hit a big progressive jackpot. As a side note, there is nothing wrong with either gambling as an entertainment expense or gambling while trying to find an advantage against the casino. I am not judging either way, just covering as much of the subject as I can.

Many casual casino players will play a few casino games instead of going out to eat or taking in a movie. If you were going to spend a couple hundred on a night out, why not use it instead to take your chances at your favorite slot machine or table game? Even if you play the games with the highest house edge you will occasionally leave a winner.

You can also find progressive jackpots that get so high that they can be played with a statistical edge over the casinos in the long run. I mentioned this when discussing video poker above and it is an in-depth topic that can’t be covered in full here, but it is possible and when you find these situations on a game you enjoy you should take advantage of them and play.