Anyone who has ever played online slots will have experienced playing what are referred to as regular or non-progressive slots. While these kinds of video slots dominate the market, there is another type of slot that is worthy of attention. That would be what the online casino community refers to as “progressive” or jackpot slots.
So you will have to play them for yourself and see which one wins more money. Progressive vs Regular Slots really boils down to preference.
As you step up to make your first foray into the world of online slot playing, it would benefit you to have an understanding of the type of slot you are playing. Since there are very important differences between regular slots and progressive slots, let’s take a look at the said difference between progressive Vs regular slot.
let’s read to find more about Progressive vs Regular Slots;
1. Regular Slots
A very large majority of the slots listed on any typical online casino website will be what is referred to as regular slots. Regular slots can best be characterized by the fact each game is “self-contained.” Self-contained means the game is a game unto itself where all players are playing the game through the same online casino site.
Here are some of the other characteristics one would use to identify a regular slot:
- All possible payouts per reel alignment are predetermined and set in stone (a payout of 100x the bet amount will always be a payout of 100x the bet amount
- They usually have well-defined online casino bonuses or interactive bonus features
- Each game will have a projected “Return to Player” (RTP) percentage of between 94 and 97
- Access to all bonus features is determined by certain alignments on the reels
Note: The RTP is defined as the percentage of each dollar wagered that will be returned to players over the life of a particular slot. For instance, an RTP of 96% means the game will return 96% of everything wagered to players over time. The other 4% is the house’s built-in advantage.
2. Progressive Slots
Progressive slots are similar to regular slots in that they offer predetermined payouts on certain reel alignments. They might also offer a bonus or interactive bonus feature or two during standard play. However, they also have a secondary jackpot that’s available to the lucky few who get a shot at it. This secondary jackpot is what is referred to as a progressive jackpot.
Progressive slots are not stand-alone online casino games. They are typically hosted on separate servers that allow slot participation among multiple online casinos at the same time. Progressive jackpots work as follows:
As players play a particular progressive slot like Mega Moolah from Microgaming or Mega Fortune from Netent, a portion of each original wager is siphoned off and placed in a separate jackpot fund that builds over time. Meanwhile, the standard slot play with standard payouts continues.
With hundreds of online casinos allowing access to a particular progressive slot, the progressive jackpot can rise into the hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars. These ultimate progressive jackpots are available to all players with no regard for the online casino being used.
Access to an actual progressive jackpot “game or feature” is granted in one of two ways. First, some progressive slots can be accessed through the base game as players land a certain reel alignment. It usually requires that players hit five (5) bonus symbols across five (5) reels.
Second, access to some progressive jackpot games is granted at random. In other words, players will be playing the base game only to be interrupted with the chance to go to the progressive jackpot game. This is exactly how Mega Moolah selects its progressive jackpot participants.
To earn a progressive jackpot, players will usually have to spin reels or a bonus wheel. The total progressive jackpot is typically allotted into minor awards and one huge grand prize jackpot. In the cases of Mega Moolah and Mega Fortune, the minimum jackpots always start at a cool $1,000,000 and build from there.
It’s worth noting that some awarded progressive jackpots have been in excess of $15,000,000 with approximately $23,600,000 being the largest online progressive jackpot paid to date. BTW: That was compliments of Mega Moolah Absolutory Mad in 2020. Mega Fortune has also returned jackpots in excess of $18,000,000.
Why Play Progressive Slots?
To be very clear, progressive jackpots are always substantially larger than anything a regular slot might offer. However, there is more risk built into playing progressive slots. In fact, most progressive slots are designed to carry an RTP percentage of 85 or so with high volatility. A slot’s volatility relates to the frequency and average payouts per win.
The decision of whether to play regular or progressive slots really boils down to one thing. If risk-averse players want predictable and more frequent returns, regular slots are the way to go. If they want to “shoot for the moon,” the value lies in playing progressive slots.
