A progressive slot machine has a jackpot that grows as people play it. A small share of every bet goes into the jackpot meter until someone wins it, and then the jackpot resets to a starting amount and begins to grow again. That is the key difference from a fixed jackpot, which never changes.
Many modern slot machines have several progressive jackpots on one game, often labelled something like Mini, Minor, Major and Grand. The smallest is the easiest to hit and resets quickly, while the top prize is the hardest to hit and grows the most. Each game has its own way of awarding them: a set number of jackpot symbols, a bonus wheel, a pick feature or a random trigger.
How Progressive Jackpots Get So Big
It can seem strange that a game with a small bet carries a six- or seven-figure jackpot. The answer is that most big progressives are linked. Instead of one machine building its own jackpot, many machines feed the same meter. There are three common setups:
- Standalone progressive: one machine with its own meter. These jackpots stay relatively small.
- Local or in-house progressive: a bank of machines, or every machine of one type in a casino, feeds a shared meter.
- Wide-area progressive: machines in many casinos, often across a whole state, feed one jackpot run by the game maker. This is how Megabucks and the Wheel of Fortune slot family reach very large prizes.
The amount added per spin is small. Here is a simple example with made-up but realistic numbers: if a game keeps 7% of a $5 spin on average, the house expects to keep 35 cents. If 2% of each bet goes to the progressive, 10 cents of that spin is added to the jackpot. Ten cents is not much, but across thousands of linked machines and millions of spins, the meter climbs quickly.
Because part of every bet is set aside for the jackpot, progressive games usually pay a little less on regular wins than similar non-progressive games. You are trading smaller everyday returns for a shot at a large prize. Megabucks shows how far that trade can go: Nevada data for 1994 to 2009 put its overall return at about 88.6%, well below many other slots.
Do You Need to Bet Max to Win the Jackpot?
It depends on the game, so check before you play. Some progressives pay the top jackpot only on a maximum bet; hit the winning symbols on a smaller bet and you get a much smaller fixed award. Other games make the jackpot available at any bet.
The rules are on the machine’s glass or in its help screens. If a game needs a max bet for the top prize and that bet is more than you are comfortable with, pick a lower-denomination version or a different game. Playing a max-bet progressive for less than max means contributing to a jackpot you cannot win.
When a Progressive Can Be Worth Playing
A progressive’s return to player rises as its jackpot grows. When the meter climbs past a certain level, sometimes called the break-even point, the theoretical return can reach or even pass 100%. Advantage players track meters for this reason. For most players, the practical point is simpler: the same game is a better bet when its jackpot is high than when it has just reset.
Even then, the top prize on a big wide-area progressive is extremely unlikely to hit on any given spin, so set a budget and treat the jackpot as a bonus rather than a plan.
Fixed Jackpots vs. Progressive Jackpots
Many slots display a big number on the top glass or screen, such as $5,000 on a lower-limit game or $100,000 on a high-limit one. If that number never moves, it is a fixed jackpot: the largest win on that machine, shown in dollars instead of credits. A progressive jackpot is shown on a meter that ticks upward as people play, and the machine or the area around it is usually labelled as a progressive.
For examples of both types, see our list of the most popular slots.
Progressive Slots FAQ
How does a progressive slot work?
A small part of each bet is added to a jackpot that keeps growing until someone wins it. Then it resets to a starting amount.
Are progressive slots worse odds than regular slots?
Usually a little, because part of every bet funds the jackpot. The return improves as the jackpot grows.
Do I have to bet the maximum to win a progressive jackpot?
On some games, yes. Others award jackpots at any bet. Check the game’s rules before you play.
Gamble responsibly. If gambling is causing problems for you or someone you know, call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET.