Many find it difficult to understand the hype that has fueled the exponential growth of online slots. However, the mathematics behind these games, the effort that developers invest into making them visually pleasing and attractive, and their overall evolution over the years could be one quick explanation why they have become the most popular casino-style product available.
One particular group of online slots has been treated with greater attention and drawing bigger crowds due to the huge rewards they promise. Progressive jackpot slots have been around since the earlier days of online casino gambling.
With some players hitting seven- and even eight-figure wins playing such games, their popularity among slots fans should not come as a shock.
There are many progressive jackpots out there, and some of them have stood the test of time and have remained valued among players, even though newer and more sophisticated titles have been released. Here are four of the most popular jackpot slots and a little bit about these, as well as why players keep coming back to play them.
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Mega Moolah (Microgaming)
Mega Moolah might have been released more than a decade ago, but it is still arguably the most popular progressive jackpot slot in the world. The fact that the game incorporates four different progressive jackpots certainly has a lot to do with its global popularity.
It should also be noted that Mega Moolah has paid out the largest ever jackpots, but more about this later.
Mega Moolah is set against the backdrop of hot and colorful Africa with its wild beasts walking free in the African plains. Players are taken on safari where they can spot some iconic species and hit some big wins.
Mega Moolah features a standard 5×3 grid with 25 adjustable paylines. Symbols on the paytable include the cards 10-A. Following on, wild animals such as impala, zebra, giraffe, bison, and elephant come into view and into play. Of these, the elephant is the most rewarding symbol, giving players 30x their stake for five of a kind.
The mighty lion acts as the wild symbol and substitutes for all other symbols on the paytable except the scatter. It doubles the payout when part of a winning combo and gives players 600x their bet for five on a full payline.
Three shaman scatters trigger the Free Spins feature and grant 15 free spins. While the Free Spins mode is pretty promising itself; what has been spearheading Mega Moolah’s popularity for 14 years (the game was originally released in 2006) is its bonus round that is triggered randomly at any point during the game.
The higher a player’s bet, the better chance they have to trigger the bonus round and play for one of four progressive jackpots – Mini, Minor, Major, and Mega. If a player gets so lucky to trigger the bonus round, the only thing they need to do then is to hit the spin button on the wheel that appears on the screen.
Mega Moolah has paid out some of the biggest jackpots ever recorded. The largest one was landed in September 2018 by a Grand Mondial player who chose to remain anonymous. The player hit an €18,915,721 win.
Mega Fortune (NetEnt)
NetEnt released its most popular progressive jackpot slot in January 2009 and several lucky players have landed some pretty impressive wins since then.
But first things first, here is a little bit more about Mega Fortune and why players simply love it, even though new and visually and mechanically more sophisticated slots are coming out every day.
Mega Fortune has 5 reels and 3 rows, and 25 fixed paylines. The grid is located in front of a luxury yacht docked in a marina as a hint to players about the numerous opportunities that come alongside a big win.
Expensive rings with gems showing the playing cards serve as the lower paying symbols on the paytable. Higher paying symbols come in the form of whiskey and a cigar, a crazy expensive watch, and a wad of banknotes. The limo serves as the highest paying symbol, offering 40x a player’s initial stake for five of a kind.
The luxury yacht acts as a wild and substitutes for all symbols on the reels. A bottle of champagne and two glasses serve as the scatter. Three scatters trigger the Free Spins feature.
The Bonus Round, though, is what everyone is really excited about, because it is the special feature that unlocks the game’s three progressive jackpots. Three bonus wheel symbols on the reels trigger the desired Bonus Round.
Players are presented with a larger set of wheels that they need to spin in order to get to the Mega Jackpot. They need to stop each of the three wheels on an arrow symbol in order to hit the big jackpot.
Mega Fortunem has been quite generous over the years and has lived up to its reputation with some pretty impressive wins. The biggest jackpot ever paid out landed in January 2013 when an anonymous Paf Casino player from Finland hit a €1,860,868 jackpot.
Hall of Gods (NetEnt)
Hall of Gods is yet another massively popular progressive jackpot title from NetEnt that has stood the test of time. The game was rolled out in 2013 and has awarded some pretty good wins over the years.
Hall of Gods is for all those who are drawn to Norse mythology and have always dreamt about close encounters with the powerful gods that are part of this fascinating universe.
The game features a neat grid with 5 reels, 3 rows and 20 paylines. Action takes place against the backdrop of an icy desert. The lower paying symbols include a range of items such as a box of oranges, a pick, a brooch, a hammer, a ring, and the goddess Idun. Higher paying symbols are represented by the gods Loki, Freya, Thor, and Odin. The Odin symbol is the highest paying one, worth up to 100x a player’s stake for five of a kind.
Jörmungandr, the Midgard Serpent, is the wild symbol and substitutes for all other symbols on the reels except the bonus and scatter symbols. If the wild lands on reels 2, 3, or 4 and is part of a winning combo, it expands across the entire reel to potentially boost the win rate.
Hall of Gods has two additional features – a Free Spins round and a Bonus Game, which is where players can hit the game’s Mega Jackpot. The Free Spins feature is triggered when three or more scatters hit the reels. The Ravens symbol acts as a scatter. When 3, 4, or 5 of it appear on the reels, 10, 15, or 20 free spins await players. All wins during the Free Spins mode have a x3 multiplier applied.
And finally, the Bonus Game is activated when three Thor’s Hammer bonus symbols land on the reels. When this special feature is unlocked, a number of shields appear on the screen and players need to smash them in search for a big win.
Each smashed shield reveals either coin amounts or Mini, Midi, or Mega Jackpot symbols. When three of the same coin amounts or jackpot symbols are revealed, the player wins their value.
The Mini and Midi Jackpots are local jackpots, while the Mega Jackpot is pooled. The all three jackpot amounts are listed in the upper part of the screen.
An anonymous Betsson player from Norway has claimed the largest Hall of Gods Mega Jackpot ever won. That happened in 2015 when the player hit a €7,820,888 win.
Jackpot Giant (Playtech)
Playtech is a pioneer in the provision of technology and content for the online gambling industry. And when it comes to jackpot slots, the provider’s suite is a huge hit in the global slots players community.
Jackpot Giant is one of the most popular titles in Playtech’s progressive jackpots portfolio. The game introduces players to a friendly giant who needs help to unmine the Giant Jackpot and discover volcanic riches.
The game’s paytable shows the J-A card royals as the least rewarding symbols, followed by two stacked symbols – one featuring the smiling Giant towering above a tropical forest, and the other showing the lovely character warming his hands by a volcano. Three precious crystals – a yellow, a blue, and a red one – represent the higher paying symbols.
There is also a Giant Hand symbol that serves as the scatter and pays out 500x a player’s bet for five of a kind. Jackpot Giant does not have a Free Spins round. Instead the game features a Giant Bonus that is triggered when Bonus symbols land on reels 1 and 5.
The Bonus symbol is represented by an erupting volcano. When triggered, it invites players to pick 3 out of 6 volcanoes to win mystery prizes or even an extra pick. A selected volcano can even trigger a chain reaction of volcanic eruptions, awarding all cash prizes available in the bonus game.
Jackpot Giant’s Wild symbol is the one players should be the most excited about. Firstly, these pay big (50,000x) for five of a kind. And secondly, these are the symbols that players need to hit the big jackpot.
Players need to hit five Wild symbols on payline #1 in order to win the Giant Jackpot. There is one important requirement, players must set the base game to max bet in order to qualify for its progressive jackpot.
Jackpot Giant has awarded some pretty big jackpots over the years after its launch in early 2014. But the highest amount hit by a player was paid out to an unknown player back in October 2018 who received €10,710,483 playing the game.
