A progressive jackpot is a jackpot that grows with a small share of every qualifying stake until someone wins it, then resets to a starting amount. On networked progressives the pot is pooled across many casinos, which is how the largest jackpots in online slots are built.
What a progressive jackpot is
A fixed jackpot pays the same multiple of the stake every time. A progressive jackpot pays whatever the pot holds when it is won. The money comes from players: each qualifying spin contributes a small percentage, and the counter on screen shows the running total.
There are three main types:
- Standalone: one game, one pot.
- Local or in-house: several games at one operator share a pot.
- Networked: the same game or family of games across many operators shares one pot.
Many games have several progressive tiers at once, often labelled Mini, Minor, Major and Grand, sometimes mixing progressive and fixed jackpots.
How it works, step by step
- You place a stake on a progressive slot.
- A set share of the stake goes into the jackpot pool. The rest is handled by the normal game maths.
- The jackpot is triggered by the game's rule: a random award on any spin, a jackpot bonus game such as a wheel bonus, or a symbol combination.
- If you win, you receive the current pot, or a share of it on some networked games.
- The pot resets to its seed amount and starts growing again.
Common variations
- Must-drop-by jackpots: guaranteed to be won before reaching a stated amount or time.
- Stake-weighted chances: the chance of triggering a jackpot can rise with the stake, in proportion to what you contribute.
- Jackpot wheels and hold-and-win routes: the jackpot sits inside a bonus such as hold and win.
- Branded jackpot networks: a provider runs one network across many of its titles.
What it does to the maths and the feel
Because some of each stake funds the pot, a progressive slot's base game usually returns less than a comparable non-progressive game. The total RTP includes the jackpot's contribution, but almost all players never win it, so in practice their experience is of the lower base return. The jackpot itself is a very rare, very large outcome, which makes these games extremely high volatility.
A large pot is not a sign that a win is due. Unless a game has an explicit must-drop rule, each spin is independent. The house edge still applies to the total of everything staked.
Rules in Great Britain
Progressive jackpot slots are available on GB-licensed sites. The stake limits of £5 per spin for players 25 and over and £2 for 18 to 24 year olds apply as for any other slot; they limit what you stake, not the jackpot. The game design rules apply in full.
Questions people ask
Where does the progressive jackpot money come from?
From a small share of each qualifying stake on the game or network. When the jackpot is won, it resets to a starting amount, often called the seed.
Does a bigger jackpot mean it is about to drop?
No. On standard progressive jackpots, each spin's chance of winning does not depend on how long it has been since the last win. Some 'must drop' jackpots are different, and the game rules say so.
Is the RTP of a progressive slot lower?
Often the base game's return is lower, because part of every stake goes into the pot. The game's information usually shows how the RTP splits between the base game and the jackpot.