Kinds of Progressive Slots

In progressive slot machines the top jackpot is not fixed. Progressives are usually part of a linked group of machines, and as the individual slots are played, the jackpot continually grows until someone wins it. After a win, the jackpot is reset to a base value and then begins to grow again. Some players are unaware that there is often a secondary jackpot, which is much smaller than the primary.

Progressive slots are typically two-, three-, or five-coin machines, although some video nickel machines will take as many as forty-five coins. In every case, the maximum number of coins must be bet to qualify for the top prize. Because progressives require a larger bankroll than basic flat pays, I don’t recommend them for beginning slot players. The looseness or tightness of a progressive machine is entirely dependent on the current jackpot amount, since that determines the overall payback.

Progressive slot machines can be divided into three distinct categories. The categories roughly define how many machines are linked together (if any), and how large the progressive jackpots grow. As you will see later, the playing strategies for all the categories are quite similar.

Stand-Alone Progressives

At one time, all progressive slot machines were stand-alone. That was before someone thought of the idea of linking progressives together to make the jackpot meter tick up faster and higher. Most casinos still have stand-alones, the big difference being that the progressive jackpot is in the thousands of dollars instead of the hundreds of thousands or millions. Generally, you can identify a stand-alone by the lack of a large jackpot meter above the row or carousel. Instead, there is a meter on each individual machine, which doesn’t change unless someone is playing the game.

Local Progressives

The first linked progressives were groups of machines within a single casino that were connected together so that they all contributed to a common jackpot pool. The size of a particular progressive group may be as small as a half dozen machines or as large as several dozen. Each cluster of machines has a large meter that displays the current value of the jackpot. You can tell it isn’t a WAPS (see below) because the jackpot will be in the tens of thousands. If you are not sure, just ask an attendant or a floor supervisor.

Wide Area Progressive Slots (WAPS)

Wide area progressive slots are the big money progressive machines. In 1986, IGT set up the first citywide linked progressive machines in Las Vegas and called them Megabucks. They were so successful that dozens of wide area progressive systems have been started since then - the majority being operated by IGT. On most of them, the top jackpot runs into the millions, which accounts for their enormous popularity. The idea of linking hundreds of similar machines within a single gaming jurisdiction - such as Nevada or New Jersey - has resulted in very high payouts and frequent winners.

The individual casinos do not own the wide area machines. They are installed and maintained by a system operator such as IGT. When IGT sets up a new Megabucks machine, all the casino does is provide the floor space and take its cut of the action. IGT maintains the machine and all associated equipment including the interconnecting telephone lines. They handle all the needed administration and promotional activities, in addition to verifying and paying all the jackpots. Find greatest bonus offers and more promotions when you play slots online.