Games & Tech | Did You Know

What Triggers a Jackpot on a Slot Machine?

Slots with jackpot prizes give us a terrific way of trying to win a lot of money but how can you win the top prize? This varies from one game to the next but the following are a few of the key points to bear in mind.

How Slots Operate

We can start by understanding how slots work in general. On each game, you’ll find a paytable and a rules page, where you can see how much you would win with any set of winning symbols or on the bonus games.

If there’s a jackpot available, then the details will be listed here too. However, it’s worth pointing out that a jackpot is offered as well as the normal prizes, rather than instead of them. This means that you can still win a smaller amount by getting three or more matching symbols.

In the case of progressive jackpots, the amount will increase every time someone plays the slot but doesn’t win the jackpot. A small amount of each wager goes towards the jackpot, so it keeps on building until someone wins it and it gets reset to the starting point. Fixed jackpots are different, as they always offer the same amount.

How Can You Win the Jackpot?

There’s no single answer to this question, as slots developers can set up their games to offer the jackpot prize in any way they like. As the variety of slots available online grows, the number of different ways of winning on them is also increasing.

Perhaps the simplest way to trigger a jackpot prize is on a random basis. In this kind of situation, the win can occur on any spin and you’ll simply see a message coming up to give you the happy news when it happens.

Another possibility is that the jackpot is paid when you get a certain combination of symbols. This is usually the highest-paying icons from the paytable, but it could also be paid out on a combination involving a bonus symbol or a wild symbol.

The other way of earning a slots jackpot is by taking part in a special bonus round. You’ll need to get the right combination of symbols to get to this stage. The next part is where you’re asked to do something like pick objects or spin a wheel of fortune.

Are There a Lot of Jackpot Slots?

The market for online slots has grown greatly in the last few years, with far more games of this type now listed in many online casinos. Among them, we can find a wide variety of jackpot slots, like Hot Drop Jackpot, with different prizes up for grabs.

The easiest way to get started is by looking in the games lobby of a casino that you trust. You should see some slots marked as having jackpots, while you might see the current total noted on any progressive jackpots that they have.

On some sites, you’ll see a category covering jackpot games, so you can head straight there if you want to find the biggest prizes. This lets you see all of the options for trying to claim a giant jackpot on slots with different themes and gameplay options. Some of the most popular slots of recent years have been released with jackpots added to them.

Some will climb up to higher levels than others, due to factors like the popularity of the slot and how easy it is to win the jackpot. So you can’t just look at the jackpot amount and work out from that figure whether it gives the best chance of getting a big win.

Should You Play Jackpot Slots?

This sort of game is perfect for some players, but others might prefer to look at other types of games. One of the main factors to take into account here is the volatility. A slot with a big main prize will generally be more volatile than others.

The reason for this is that low volatility slots tend to pay out a lot of smaller wins on a regular basis. Higher volatility games will have bigger prizes but may pay out less frequently. Jackpot slots tend to be high volatility, so you could go on a losing streak while trying to claim the top prize.

Of course, the presence of a big jackpot also makes these games exciting. The chance to win a huge prize is good news for anyone who wants the thrill of knowing that the next spin of the reels could bring you something very special.

It makes sense to consider what you’re after before you start playing. If it’s the chance of a giant jackpot that appeals to you, then you’ll want to take a close look at the jackpot slots. But if you’re happy just playing some slots where you could win more modest amounts, then you’ll find a huge selection that you could choose from.  

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