Progressive jackpots have been around since the Stone Age, or rather the brick-and-mortar age, as it was first introduced in land-based casinos in 1986 and shortly after that in online casinos in 1998. Most progressive table games, like blackjack, provide punters the chance of an additional side bet that opens the opportunity to win a progressive jackpot. Players can win a portion of the jackpot or the whole lot!
Punters who have been long-term contributors to the online gambling industry will know that progressive prizes are more often than not provided by a third party, like the developers of the game or a software provider. This makes these games a great option for online casinos.
While more bets are placed, each contributes toward the progressive jackpot amount, allowing it to grow until a lucky winner hits big. This big win potential makes progressive jackpots the perfect option for players. While multipliers and fixed jackpots are great, nothing can beat what progressives provide - no matter which game you choose to play.
Fixed Jackpots vs Progressive Jackpots
To start with, fixed jackpot games always require a real-money wager to qualify for jackpot winnings. There may also be minimum bets that are needed to stand a chance to win.
Fixed Jackpots only appear on the games that are featured and have a slower growth rate than progressives. It also usually means that there’s a cap on how large the prize pool can become over time. Once a fixed jackpot hits its maximum growth, it needs to trigger.
Progressive jackpots on table games rarely have any requirements other than making an additional side bet to stand a chance of winning the increasing jackpot pool. Statistics show that progressive jackpots offer much higher payouts than fixed jackpot games.
Punters who follow the winning trend on certain games will realise that progressive jackpot games can trigger at any time after the previous win and then reset to their predetermined value again. Known as the seed amount, these funds are also usually provided by a third party, like a software provider, and not like a casino platform like other fixed jackpot games.
Some popular progressive slots like Mega Moolah, Age of the Gods, and Mega Fortune have made headlines more than once to showcase their latest progressive jackpot winners. These amounts are usually substantial and don't compare to those with fixed jackpots.
Top 5 Progressive Table Games
While online slots are the most popular games that feature progressive jackpots, many exciting table games can offer the same experience. Here are 5 of the best.
Roulette Royale by Microgaming
Roulette Royale is one of the rare roulette games with a progressive jackpot feature. This table game has a few extra features that the standard version doesn't have, like using a wager worth 1 credit for every spin they make in order to qualify to win the progressive jackpot.
This progressive roulette has more than one jackpot. When punters place a bet worth 1 credit, their wager adds to the winning jackpot. The lowest jackpot starts with 15 credits at $60,000. The largest is the grand prize, which seeds at $500,000.
Poker Ride by Microgaming
From the same developers that gave us Mega Moolah, Microgaming developed a beginner-friendly progressive poker game that includes the same rules as traditional Poker. Punters need to get the best combination out of five, and sadly, there are no Joker or wild cards in this version.
As with many progressive table games, players can stand in line to win the progressive jackpot when they place a side bet. Players can still win the old-fashioned way; however, wins are not as big. The Royal Flush is only worth about 10% of the progressive jackpot prize.
Bonus Keno Progressive Jackpot by NetEnt
Like traditional keno, featured on several online platforms, the gameplay is fairly straightforward. Punters must use the maximum bet option to qualify for the progressive jackpot and select at least ten boxes with "J" on them to win.
Punters who get ten or more J-boxes but still need to select the maximum wager amount will still have the chance to win a jackpot prize, however, this is a percentage of the progressive jackpot prize pool. Another feature that differs from the traditional game is when a player gets five Joker symbols, which activates the bonus game where all winnings are doubled!
Caribbean Stud Poker by Real Time Gaming
In the interest of not over-complicating things, the gameplay of Caribbean Stud Poker is fairly simple. Players can fold, raise, or deal; otherwise, standard rules apply. Players can use an additional bet to qualify for the progressive jackpot.
The dealer has only one card revealed. To win the round, a punter must show a stronger hand than the dealer's. Depending on the hand, punters can win a percentage of the jackpot prize or the entire amount by hitting a royal flush!
Jackpot Deuces Video Poker by Microgaming
This video poker game developed by Microgaming is another great progressive jackpot option where players can earn big on their favourite table game. To qualify for the progressive jackpot amount, players need to wager the maximum amount of coins and make a royal flush of diamonds.
In this video poker version, the twos act as wild cards, which means that the twos can substitute or act as any card to fill the hand. There is a catch, though: the progressive jackpot will not pay out if the hand contains deuces to complete the diamond royal flush - it needs to be wild-free!