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Progressive jackpots are where the big slot action lies these days

| Published on March 4, 2011

Progressive jackpots are where the big slot action lies these days
Set foot in any land casino and you will always see a lot of slots and a lot of players sitting around them, locked into their own world as the wheels spin, the bells ring and the crowd cheers as someone hits a jackpot. This is a scene that has repeated itself in land casinos throughout the World for decades, as well as in online casinos since they began to open virtual doors around ten years ago. And will probably go on that way for ever.

However a new and highly excitement element has crept into slot machine play over the last few years and has certainly helped to sweep away any of the cobwebs forming around slot machine play.


Creating the buzz is the new generation of slots that provide entry to what are known as progressive jackpots. Online casinos were the brains behind progressive jackpot promotions, although you will find some progressive slots jackpots to be won in syndicated tournaments in Vegas, although their prize money is small potatoes when compared to the enormous payouts that can be won online.


Basically the principal behind progressive jackpot promotion is that any online slot game can be tailored to offer a two tier pay out. The first is when a player hits a winning combination and gets paid out, and the second, the progressive jackpot, is only paid out after a certain sum of money pre-determined by the online casino, or casinos, organising the promotion. This sum of money is deducted every time a player makes a spin from when promotion begins to when the target sum has been arrived. Players usually know that they are taking part in a progressive jackpot promotion and the excitement when the prize target is about to be reached reverberates around the internet like virtual jungle drums. Players can win a progressive jackpot on their first spin, while others have been playing the same slot for days to try and get that winning prize which can run into the hundreds of thousands.


The progressive jackpot prize is always won by hitting a certain winning combination after the organisers have decided that there is enough money in the kitty. Sometimes they announce what the winning combination has to be, or they might decide to keep it a surprise,


An even bigger surprise is when the online casino sets up a secret progressive jackpot promotion and a player whose favourite slot game has been chosen might find themselves winning a massive prize without any warning. Maybe not good for your health, but certainly good for your bank account.


There is no doubt that the arrival of progressive jackpots has certainly added a whole new dimension to playing slots. The jackpots won can be almost life changing and in almost every case the money set aside for progressive jackpot prizes come out of the casino profits and not from the player's pocket. It's their way of saying thanks you!