Progressive slots have always been among the favorites of a large number of casino enthusiasts. They offer larger jackpots than usual and in certain cases, deliver life-changing results to winners. Every casino-goer interested in slots has probably wished that he would hit the Big One – the one that change his life for good! However, a reality check is required before you participate in slot games. The chances of lightning striking you are higher than your winning the big one. But this does not mean that you must never play slots.
You might not stand a chance of hitting a large jackpot, but slots can still be played for the mere joy they bring. If your expectations are realistic and you’re not one of those dreamers who hope to hit the big one someday, slot machines can offer you plenty of fun. Few of the progressive slot machines out there are better when compared to others in terms of luck with hitting the jackpot. Before we go into detail with the kinds of progressive slots, let’s go through the fundamental basics of the casino game.
Casinos With Progressive Slot Jackpots Over $500,000
Basics of Progressive Slots - Types of Progressive Slots
Progressive machines refer to a group of several slots that are interlinked using a common network. Each slot machine takes in money which is accumulated over a period of time. The progressive jackpot is a high-payout feature that continually grows depending on the number of people who play on the machine, until the winning icons for the big prize appear on screen. There are three major progressive slots that promise a great deal of fun and entertainment, viz. the Stand Alone Progressive, Proprietary or In-House Progressives, and Wide Area Progressive.
Stand Alone Progressive Slots
Unlike most slot machines, the stand alone progressive slot is not interlinked with others! Instead of offering players a fixed big prize, it takes a ratio of coins played into the machine and adds it to the top jackpot. The meter is usually located on the slot machine’s front part, and displays the jackpot if the winning combination is the highest. Stand alone progressive jackpots are not as high as the jackpots that can be won by playing on interlinked machines.
Proprietary or In-House Progressives
Proprietary or in-house progressive machines are owned and run by a casino, and are linked together with other slots. These progressives are generally available in one single casino. However, they may also be interlinked with other properties if a casino has more than one franchise. The winnings will depend upon the casino where you play. Although jackpots are not generally in the multi-million category, they are often substantially rewarding. The good thing about proprietary or in-house progressives is that they hit more frequently than other progressives.
Wide Area Progressive
Speaking of life-changing jackpots, it should be mentioned that wide area progressives offer the highest payouts in progressive slot games. Several unrelated casinos are interlinked and the machines are often run by a solo operator. Games like Quartermania, MegaBucks, etc. are operated by IGT – an independent slot-maker. The games are owned by the operator, but the casino gets a share of the winnings. Although the jackpots are fairly large, the possibility of hitting the top award is pretty low. Due to the costs incurred in interlinking machines along with administrative costs spent on operating these games, the percentage of payback on such machines is considerably lower when compared to other slots.
List of the Biggest Progressive Slots Wins in Las Vegas’ History
Each year, jackpots associated with slots machines get bigger. Las Vegas has a rich history of changing the lives of many slots players. Following is a list of some of the biggest progressive jackpot victories ever!
Excalibur Casino
On the 21st of March, 2003, an incredible sum of $39.7 million was bagged by an anonymous L.A software engineer. One of the most famous progressive slots in Sin City, Megabucks only needs $3 to put you in the running for the jackpot. The smallest win is a fantastic $10 million. With such high amounts involved, there’s no surprise that Megabucks hold the record for the largest jackpot ever paid out.
Desert Inn Casino
On the 26th of January, 2000, Lady Luck shone on a rather unfortunate cocktail waitress, Cynthia Jay-Brennan. Only six weeks before claiming the second-biggest jackpot in Vegas’ history, Cynthia lost her sister and was left paralyzed following a car accident. The jackpot was won when she played on a Megabucks slot machine, and it fetched her a handsome $34.9 million.
Palace Station Casino
Megabucks finds its place on the list once again as the third highest jackpot winning slot. On the 15th of November, 1998, a progressive prize of $27.5 was claimed by an anonymous flight attendant retiree who was just short of his 68th birthday! Megabucks had surpassed the $20 million mark for the very first time in history, but the most interesting news about the retiree winning was that he had claimed $680,000 playing Wheel of Fortune at Palace Station Casino only a year earlier!
Bally’s Casino
Surprise, surprise – or is it?! Megabucks is on the list once more as the slot machine handed Johanna Huendl, a 74-year-old, $22.6 million on the 27th of March, 2002. Johanna, who entered Bally’s Casino hoping to get some breakfast thought she would try out the slot machine for the fun of it. Little did she know that she would walk away with all the eggs in the proverbial basket!
Caesars Palace Casino
Okay, Megabucks is seriously impressing! On the 1st of June, 1999, an Illinois business consultant (anonymous) walked into one of Vegas’ most popular casinos and walked out with a staggering $21.3 million. The interesting bit of his story is that it was his first ever spin on a Megabucks slot machine! Anonymous he might be, but his story is imprinted in the history of Caesars Palace.
Cannery Casino
Megabucks rounds up the list of the biggest progressive jackpot win in the history of Las Vegas. On the 15th of September, 2005, Elmer Sherwin claimed a $21.1 million prize and is recognized as the oldest man to win more than $20 million on slots games. The legend was in the making when Elmer bagged $4.6 million while playing slots at the Mirage Casino in 1989. He announced that he would hit the jackpot again, and as his luck would have it, there he was, at 92 years of age, claiming almost five times the amount he won sixteen years earlier!
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