Progressive Jackpots in Slots

Progressive jackpots have become immensely popular in the slots world over the past few years. This may very well be related to an extension of the same reasons alluded to on the index of slots-info.com - the major motivation for slots players is the ability to wager a small amount with the potential of a life altering return. Progressive jackpots embody this concept, and as such have proved quite attractive to most slots fans.

Progressive jackpot machines are ones which are all linked up in one big network. As money is played through any and all of the machines on the network, a small portion is added to the jackpot total and displayed across all of the machines. Depending on the number and use of the slot machines on a progressive network, the jackpots can be seen to grow right in front of your eyes, another great trick to entice gamers.

To get a sense for exactly how powerful this is, see if you don't want to play slots when you look at the growing progressive jackpots here on the IGT network. The interesting thing about these games is that the casinos don't own them. Casinos simply offer space to companies like IGT who own the machines, run the network, and are responsible for payoffs. You find them in the casinos because the casinos receive a very small take, but much more so because of the fact that casinos love them for their ability to draw players into the house with impressive jackpots.

To further your confusion you will see progressive jackpots on machines that the casino does indeed own, but which offer significantly lower jackpots. These are local networks that are run by the specific casino so that they can receive a larger take than they do from the outside progressive companies. The only difference in these proprietary jackpot networks to the player is the lesser degree of competition. Playing an IGT machine, somebody could win the jackpot across the city in the middle of your session, and a thousand people can be playing for it at any one point in time. The advantage of the proprietary, smaller progressive jackpots is that there is a better chance of winning, and it gets won more frequently.

If you prefer to play progressive slots there is something you should keep in mind. Logically, since we know that the progressive jackpots on these machines are built and derived from a percentage of the money fed through them, we know the payout percentages for standard wins are on average lower than a non-progressive slots game. Additionally, many progressive jackpots do not allow collection of the jackpot if the player is playing anything less than the maximum number of coins for the machine. This is another instance where you could happily be playing along and hit the jackpot, only to have it taken away from you in an instant as you realize you only played one coin. Always play the maximum number of coins on slot machines with progressive jackpots.