The Biggest Progressive Jackpots 2021
Whether its online or on the Las Vegas strip, the types of games being offered by casinos are getting increasingly diverse. Sure, there are the old classics like roulette and blackjack that will never go out of fashion, but today, you can also play lottery-style games like keno, Casino versions of TV game shows such as Wheel of Fortune and even 21st century reinventions of traditional games like cribbage and rummy.
Yet for all that, it is the slot games that remain the casino staple to which most players are drawn. With other games, especially the likes of blackjack, it’s all about the entertainment. Wins and losses are small, and you will usually be close to breaking even – a little up or a little down on where you started. With slots, people tend to gamble in a more traditional sense, ready to risk losing their entire bankroll in a matter of minutes for the chance to scoop a big win.
Progressive jackpots
Of course, each slot game is different. Some have low volatility, meaning they pay out regular small wins but do not offer life-changing jackpots. At the other end of the scale are the slots with progressive jackpots. Here, in addition to the regular payouts for matching symbols on the reels, every wager contributes to a special prize pot that is shared across all the machines. In a traditional casino, this is a physical link-up between three cabinets containing, let’s say, the Mega Moolah game, and there will be a digital display on the wall showing how much is in the prize pot at that moment.
In a digital casino, there are no physical constraints on the number of people who can be playing a particular game at the same time. For this reason, online casino sites can offer progressive jackpots that escalate with dizzying rapidity. Sooner or later, the jackpot pays out and one lucky winner can scoop up millions. Let’s take a look at some of this year’s biggest progressive jackpots and see where you should be spending your tokens to be in with a chance of a historic win.
Mega Moolah
We mentioned Microgaming’s market leader earlier, simply because it is the most famous progressive jackpot game of them all and is the one that has hit the headlines for its Lotto-size payouts. To be in with a shout, you need to trigger the jackpot game. That happens at random, but you significantly increase the chances by opening up all the reels, and that means playing the maximum bet. When it triggers, you spin the jackpot reel, and if that points at the millionaire mega jackpot, you are in clover. The great thing about Mega Moolah is its popularity. There are so many people playing that even after a progressive jackpot pays out, it doesn’t take long for the prize pot to get back up into the millions.
Mega Fortune
NetEnt is to Microgaming what Samsung is to Apple in the smartphones market. Mega Fortune is the company’s obvious and unsubtle response to Mega Moolah. It really is a case of “anything you can do…” and the game has created some instant millionaires. The gameplay is very similar to Mega Moolah, and to get a shot at the progressive jackpot, you’ll need to line up at least three bonus symbols for a spin of the Wheel of Fortune. There are several generous prizes, but to land the really big one and get your hands on the progressive jackpot, you must successfully line up three arrows on the three circles that encompass the Wheel of Fortune.
Jackpot Giant
Playtech has taken a different slant in its approach to progressive jackpots instead of just ripping out a Mega Moolah lookalike, and it is a popular one among the more knowledgeable and experienced slot gamers. Its bonus round is a “pick ’em,” more like that of a conventional slot game, where you choose a volcano and reveal a prize. Winning the progressive jackpot is also refreshingly straightforward – line up five wild symbols and it’s all yours.
Mega Fortune Dreams
It’s back to NetEnt for another mega game that has made its share of millionaires since being launched in 2014. The 10x multiplier, sticky wilds feature and re-spins round can all ramp up the bonuses, but once again, you’ll need to trigger the bonus wheel and then have it land just right to get your hands on the progressive prize, known as the Mega Jackpot.
Empire Fortune
Yggdrasil Gaming is famous for taking popular ideas and giving them a new spin that turns them on their head. Empire Fortune is a case in point and argues that a progressive jackpot is great, but three progressive jackpots, all running at once, are even better. You’ll hear no arguments here, and we also love the fact that there are two paths by which you can access them, either through the familiar “Wheel of Fortune” type bonus round or by triggering the Fireworks bonus – accumulate 12 rockets and they could fly you straight up to one of the biggest prizes. Also in the mix, you’ll find a Free Spins bonus where you can reap the benefits of as many as 30 spins with a 10x multiplier thrown in, too. This really is a game with a lot going on.
Progressive slots are different to other casino games in that they give you the outside chance to win seriously big money from a small wager. Inevitably, that means the odds of doing so are on a par with buying a winning Lotto ticket, but most players agree games like these are worth at least the occasional try – after all, you never know.