Table of Contents
- What are jackpot slots?
- How jackpot slots work
- Types of jackpots
- Slots with high jackpot prizes
- Strategies to win progressive jackpots
- Biggest jackpot wins of all time
- Related articles
- FAQs
What are jackpot slots?
Jackpot slots are games that have the potential to pay prizes that are significantly higher than regular slot machines. You’ll find then at both land-based and online casinos in Canada. You’ll find a variety of jackpots including local, progressive, network, and house.
You’ll typically see the jackpot amounts around the slot machine’s reels. If fixed, you’ll see the amounts change as you set your stake to higher or lower amounts.
How jackpot slots work
Jackpot slots work differently depending on the nature of the game. The most popular jackpot is by far the progressive one, which increases with each bet until someone wins it.
You can trigger a jackpot in many ways:
- Randomly: Many online jackpot slots trigger at random with any spin on a jackpot slot
- Jackpot Game: Some online slots require you to play a jackpot game to determine which jackpot prize you’ve won.
- Hold & Respin: This is a typical bonus round that many providers incorporate into their video slots. You’ll win cash prizes and potentially more than one jackpot prize.
The way in which you’ll trigger the jackpot depends on the mechanics of the game. The best jackpot slots explain everything clearly in the paytables.
Types of jackpots
You’ll find several types of jackpot slots depending on the real money casino and the games it houses. These could differ in their name (Quick Hit, Firestrike, PowerPlay, etc.), or in their mechanics.
We’ve identified the five main types of jackpots and given you a short brief below.
Fixed Jackpots
Fixed jackpots are those that have multipliers attached to them. For example, you could win a prize during a Hold & Spin feature where the Grand Jackpot would be 1,000x your stake. The only variable here is the size of your bet: you could win $1,000 when playing with a $1 bet and $10,000 when playing with a $10 bet.
Progressive Jackpots
Progressive jackpot slots are those that grow as players place bets. This is because a percentage of the RTP (Return to Player) is added to the mechanics of the game – you’ll find this labelled as ‘jackpot contribution’ in the slot’s paytable. Once hit, the jackpot amounts reduce to their respective starting points and the prize accumulation starts again.
Network Jackpots
These jackpot slots are connected through a series by the same software provider. The jackpot feature is separate from the game, meaning that anyone playing one of the participating slots has a chance to trigger the jackpot. Network jackpots are generally progressive, meaning that each player contributes to the pot.
Local Jackpots
Local jackpots are those that belong to a particular game, which is the case in most slots. You can only contribute to the prize if you are playing that slot machine and similar games by the same software provider do not contribute to the final prize.
House Jackpots
House jackpots are those that are provided by the casino itself. These are generally smaller than other progressive jackpots because they are exclusive to a small group of players. Each bet placed contributes to the pot, regardless of the game being played. House jackpots can hit daily, weekly, or at random points in time.
Slots with high jackpot prizes
There’s plenty of choice when it comes to jackpot slots and most online casinos have separate tabs for them. The following table lists some of our favourite progressive jackpot slot machines, their payouts, and special features.
| Slot Name | Provider | RTP | Jackpot Starting Point | Slot Features |
| Mega Moolah | Microgaming | 88.12% | $1,000,000 | Free Spins, Wild Lion, Progressive Jackpot Wheel |
| Mega Fortune | NetEnt | 94.60% | $150,000 | Wild, Bonus Symbol, Scatters, Free Spins, Multiplier, Jackpot Game |
| Jackpot Giant | Playtech | 94.22% | $100,000 | Wild, Scatter, The Giant Bonus, The Giant Jackpot |
| Gladiator | Playtech | 91.50% | $50,000 | Wild, Scatter, Coliseum Bonus, Gladiator Jackpot Bonus |
| Divine Fortune | NetEnt | 96.59% | $10,000 | Wild, Falling Wilds Re-Spins, Wild on Wild Feature, Free Spins, Jackpot Bonus Game |
Strategies to win progressive jackpots
There is nothing that can guarantee you winning a jackpot prize, but there are some strategies you can put in place to increase your odds. We’ve listed some of them below.
Time needed: 1 hour
- Set a budget
The most important thing for any online gambling is to set a budget and stick to it so you do not go overboard with your spending. You can do this yourself, set limits within the slot machine’s setting, or through your casino account.
- Know your jackpots
Learn about the different types of jackpots and whether the slot you chose offers a local or network jackpot prize. Check the paytable to see the game’s RTP, volatility, and how to trigger the jackpot game.
- High or low?
Understand the difference between low and high jackpot prizes and which one suits you best. While jackpot slots offering higher prizes may seem more attractive, those with smaller rewards may trigger more frequently.
- Check previous wins
Most jackpot slots list their previous winners and how much they won. While there is no sure way to guarantee this, finding a pattern may help you guess when the jackpot prize is more likely to trigger.
- Jackpots and bonuses
If you’re playing with bonus cash or free spins, check the promotion’s terms and conditions. This is because many jackpots can only be triggered with real money bets, meaning you won’t be able to receive any jackpot prizes.
- Try the free version
It’s always a good idea to get a feel of a slot machine before staking real cash, which is why we recommend trying the free version of your selected jackpot slot. However, keep in mind that you may not be able to test the jackpot features as these are sometimes not offered in demo mode.
Biggest jackpot wins of all time
The main reason to play jackpot slots is to try to achieve big wins, which is why some of these games seldomly trigger, and when they do, the prize can be quite significant. You’ll find a few of the biggest jackpot wins in the following table.
| Win | Game | Date | Casino |
| $20,057,734 | Mega Moolah Mega | 30 January 2019 | Zodiac Casino |
| €19,429,358 | Mega Moolah Mega | 27 April 2021 | Napoleon Casino |
| €17,860,868 | Mega Fortune Mega | 20 January 2013 | Paf Casino |
| £15,183,085 | WowPot Mega | 14 April 2021 | 32 Red Casino |
| €14,679,069 | Mega Moolah Mega | 17 August 2020 | Lucky Casino |
| $12,945,603 | Mega Moolah | 5 March 2019 | Luxury Casino |
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FAQs
A fixed jackpot slot is one that has set multipliers as prizes, meaning that players do not contribute to the pot when playing the game. For example, a fixed jackpot of 2,000x will reward you with $4,000 if staking $1 and $40,000 when staking $20.
Yes, you can. Most online casinos in Canada house jackpot slots by various providers. You’ll find some online casinos also have house jackpots, which are jackpots exclusive to the casino’s players.
Of course. You can win real money prizes when staking real money on the jackpot slot machines. Keep in mind that you may not be able to hit a jackpot when playing with bonus cash or when fulfilling wagering requirements.
No, they aren’t. All jackpot slot machines have an RNG (Random Number Generator) implemented within their mechanics to ensure fairness and randomness with the outcome and triggering of the feature.
A progressive jackpot is a slot that places a percentage of each bet into the pot. This means that the more players play the slot machine, the higher the jackpot prizes will be. Once won, the jackpot decreases to its original starting point.
Definitely. Most online casinos in Canada offer free versions of their slot machines, including jackpot slots. However, not all jackpot features are available in demo mode, meaning you may not be able to experience it for free.
How much you can win from a jackpot slot depends on the nature of the slot and how high the prizes are. There are no maximum limits for progressive jackpots. However, we recommend you check the game’s paytable to see how much the slot is able to pay out.
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