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Home > Online Casinos > Casino Articles > 7 Best Progressive Slot Machines
Craps looks like an intimidating casino game if you have never played it before. Yet, you will mostly hear or read gambling experts say you should play the game because of its really low house edge. In fact, if you make the right bets, you'll only face a house edge of 1.36%.
Progressive slot machines were introduced to the gaming market in 1986 by American slot machine manufacturer, International Gaming Technology (IGT). Until then, a slot machine payout would be limited to the amount set by the casino.
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The progressive angle allowed the total available jackpot to increase with every bet contributed by a player, minus the amount taken by the casino to preserve the house edge.
But because the original progressive slots were still limited to one machine at a time, payouts remained modest compared to what they would become.
What revolutionized progressive slot play and the gaming industry as a whole was the networking of progressive machines. There are two types of progressive networks – local and wide-area.
Local area progressives provide larger potential jackpots than the original stand-alone machine because the contributions of all machines on the network add to the payout potential of one machine. However, because the local-area network may only contain up to a hundred machines, payouts usually do not exceed $100 000.
Big slot play these days requires wide-area progressive networks. As you have guessed, wide-area progressive machines are linked to a much greater number of machines, which include machines from other casinos across the state and sometimes across the country. For gamblers playing in states with a rich gaming culture, like Nevada or Pennsylvania, this means high jackpot potential, indeed!
To date, the largest progressive jackpot payout (and therefore the largest payout in slots history) took place at the Las Vegas Excalibur, on March 21, 2003. The largest in Las Vegas history, a software engineer spent $100 on IGT's Megabucks and won a total of $39 710 896.36, beating odds of 16.7 million against.
The following is a list of 7 of the best progressive slot machines in the world today.
1. Megabucks
First on the list is IGT Interactive's Megabucks. The first wide-area progressive machine to become available, Megabucks is still in very wide use. The Megabucks is a dollar slot game, with $3 bets required to qualify for the maximum jackpot. The jackpot base amount is $10 million, and once the progressive payout is made the machine is reset to the base.
The Megabucks has been the machine on record for some of the largest payouts in slot gaming history, including the aforementioned, number one ranked $39 million. As of this date, the latest Megabucks jackpot was hit on March 22, 2016 at the Gold Dust West Casino in Elko, Nevada, paying over $12.5 million. Between 1994 through 2009, Megabucks paid out a total of $1,239,830,000 in winnings, an annual average of $77 489 375. Winners have a choice between taking the entire payout in one sum or having it distributed over a 25-year period in annual installments.
Be aware that Megabucks gaming is available solely in Nevada. However, visitors to Nevada will have no problem finding a Megabucks machine to try their luck on. There are many dozens of casinos in and around the Las Vegas and Reno areas that employ Megabucks machines. According to a2zlasvegas website, Megabucks jackpot hits have been averaging 1 a year for the past few years, with the most number of jackpots topping 3 per year. However, with winnings consistently worth well over $10 million, Megabucks continues to attract the crowds.
2. Wheel of Fortune Slots
Fans of the famous game show will feel at home with the Wheel of Fortune. Atop the machine is the iconic 'Wheel' which is spun with every press of the button, accompanied with the game show theme music.
Produced by IGT, Wheel of Fortune games come with options of 25c, $1 and $5 betting levels. Wheel of Fortune Quarter requires 3 coins, or 75c bets, to qualify for jackpot hits. After a hit, the jackpot level is reset to $200 000. Of the Wheel of Fortune variations, the 25c version pays out smallest but more often, averaging the past several years at least one jackpot payout per month. A few of which paying over $1 million.
The Wheel of Fortune Dollar is a dollar slot that requires a $2 bet to qualify for the jackpot. Winners may also choose to receive payouts in 25 annual installments. The base is set at $1 million and the machine is reset to the base upon a jackpot hit. As of this date, the latest Wheel of Fortune $1 jackpot was hit on June 9, 2016 at the upscale Red Rock Casino and Spa in Las Vegas for $ 1,240,398.97.
Though these jackpots are considerably smaller than its Megabucks cousin, Wheel of Fortune Dollar does pay out more often. According to a2zlasvegas website, over the past two years there have been 17 jackpot payouts, all worth well over $1 million. Still enough jackpot to have made it worthwhile!
Wheel of Fortune Five Dollar is a $5 slot machine that requires two coins, or $10 bets, to qualify for the jackpot. After a jackpot hit the base is reset to $1 million. Winners have the option to receive payouts in annual installments.
Of the Wheel of Fortune slot franchise, and not unsurprisingly, the Five Dollar pays out least often, with jackpots ranging from one to no more than a handful per year, over the past 15 years. However, payouts are typically well over $1 million, while a few have exceeded $3 million.
3. Saturday Night Live Slots
Saturday Night Live by Bally Gaming is one of the Bally's more popular slots, due largely to the variations between versions of the game and the potential for high bonuses and networked progressive jackpots. Typically, the jackpot will start at $10 000 on individual machines and proceed. However, some machines are linked to local or wide-area networks increasing the payout potential considerably.
Examples on variations include The Church Lady, which offers a Canned Ham and Church Hat bonus play. Another version is Wayne's World that has a Guitar feature that provides up to 15 times the bet's value and an Offer feature that can multiply your bet's value by 1000. Thus, the potential for huge jackpot payouts.
4. Sex and the City Slots
IGT's Sex and the City slots have been a big hit in Vegas, perhaps partly due to the popular TV show from which it derives its name and brand. These slots have acquired a reputation for attracting single women, perhaps because of the show's audience and identity. It will help to be a big fan of the show to get most enjoyment from the play experience. Because of this, Sex and the City's manufacturer – IGT – went all out to create a very visually appealing machine with all the show's themes and icons a fan would expect.
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Another reason may be the fact they are technically penny slots, and so a play can cost much less than the other progressive slot games mentioned in this list. Sex and the City slots are also 4 in 1 games, offering a lot of variation in play. However, for maximum play experience, it is required to play all four screens at once. Since each play per screen is 50c a maximum play is $2, which is getting up into maximum progressive wide-area slot play.
The game offers nine bonus rounds where a player may enhance winnings. Each round is represented by a particular character from the show with show-themed scenarios, like Mr. Big or shopping for shoes. Fans of the series won't want to miss this one.
5. Millionaire 777s
Millionaire 777s have the reputation for providing more frequent payouts, with a chance to win $1 million every 107 spins. The base jackpot is $1 million and is returned to that after a jackpot hit. The most recent jackpot hit occurred April 8, 2015 at the California Hotel and Casino, for $1,168,555.17.
6. Powerbucks
Powerbucks is a wide-area linked progressive slot game that links machines in Nevada with machines in South Dakota and New Jersey.
As of this date, the most recent Powerbucks jackpot was hit June 2, 2015, at Orleans Hotel and Casino, for just over $1.35 million.
7. Quartermania
Quartermania is a progressive slot game that is linked within a wide-area system to casinos in Nevada and New Jersey. It can be found within a few dozen casinos in and around Las Vegas. Quartermania is a game that allows for more frequent play due to lower required bets but can still provide a whopping payout. The highest payout is over $178 000 and the most recent was on April 4, 2016 at the Tropicana in Atlantic City.
Conclusion
Wide-area progressive slots have gained the reputation of providing life-changing payouts and are typically well over $1 million. For this reason, the area around linked progressive machines tends to be one of the busiest in a casino, electric with the lights and sounds of the bells and the anticipation of extravagant winnings. If you decide to play a progressive slot you will notice the winnings potential increase in large, brightly lit numbers on the front. This adds to the excitement of progressive slot machine play.
Of course, also adding to the excitement is the knowledge that you, as the player, are not only competing against the odds set by the random number generator that exists inside each machine, but also against other players. Since there can be many thousands of machines connected to a wide-area network, including systems that extend both through-out and across state lines, you could be playing simultaneously with many thousands of players – all going for the same jackpot. In odds terms, the mathematical probability of hitting the jackpot is roughly 1 in 49 836 032, calculated in 1999 by Jack Robison.
One thing however, to be aware of is the minimum required bet. Most progressive machines require a minimum bet for each play in order for the player to qualify for the maximum jackpot. For example, if the minimum bet is a $2 coin and you play a $1 coin, and win, your bet did not qualify you for the available progressive jackpot. The result is you may still have a nice payout – say, $5000 – even if the potential payout was in the millions.
As you can imagine this could be quite a shock if you thought you were playing for the maximum jackpot. Don't worry though. Each machine should clearly state what the minimum bet is in order to qualify for the progressive jackpot. If you cannot find the information on the front of the machine, check the machine's 'Help' menu. Failing that, ask an attendant to show you where the minimum bet is located in writing. I do not recommend asking a fellow player as they may also be misled.
Progressive slots over wide-area networks offer the responsible gambler yet another thrill in his or her casino gameplay. As ever, budget aside a reasonable and affordable bankroll, monitor the time spent and you can spend an enjoyable hour or so always one bet away from making gaming history and going home truly rich.
Where to Find Loose Slots Online and How to Exploit Them
There are plenty of loose slots to be found online in 2021. For me this makes it all the more surprizing that most players miss out, and play the tighter ones. Casinos for mobile phones. Of course the main reason is lack of knowledge as to which slots are loose and which ones are tight. It is not as if the casinos are going to tell you directly after all!
This page shows you how to find loose slots, gives you examples from some of the main slot software houses covering both US and non-US players – and then goes on to explain how you can adjust your staking, bankroll and use of incentives like bonuses, comps and spins to make the loose slots looser still.
First, a definition – what makes a slot ‘Loose'
The accepted benchmark in casinos is that a slot that returns more than 96% of bets to a player is put into the loose category. Conversely, a slot which returns less than 96% is considered tight.
This is an old definition which comes from live casino slots, my view is that a truly loose one should pay a little more than 96% - I'm thinking in the 96.5% to 97% range. If you stick to slots with reasonably low variance that pay out well, then you have found an ideal game to use for playing through your bonus credits.
Examples of Loose and Tight Slots
Here are some examples of slots from some of the big software houses which fall into the loose and tight categories. For the non-US ones (MicroGaming, NetEnt, PlayTech) the clear best place to play them all is at the Unibet Casino where you'll find more than 600 slots from all of the major software houses.
If you are US based you can enjoy those loose RTG, Rival and BetSoft slots at the huge Bovada Casino – the #1 offshore outfit with more than 10 years of experience looking after US based players. Check out www.bovada.lv
Non-US Casino Software
Loose MicroGaming Slots: There is a lot of variation in the MicroGaming range, with many slots at 96% and above, and many at very low RTPs of 94% and below. Their flagship jackpot slots are in the ‘avoid' list, with both Major Millions and Mega Moolah not even reaching 90% (terrible!). There are some slots over 97% including Feathered Frenzy, Hot as Hades and Treasure Island. For the record, their most popular non-progressive title – ThunderStruck II – has a solid RTP of 96.6%
Loose NetEnt Slots: In contrast, the biggest jackpot slot at Net Entertainment casinos – Mega Fortune – has a solid 96.4% RTP. Other popular slots include Hall of Gods at 95.5% (on the low side for me) and Gonzo's Quest at a more reasonable 96.1%. In general, it is hard to go too far wrong with NetEnt, most of their slots are in the 95%+ bracket. Good examples include Kings of Chicago at 97.8% and the new Tornado: Farm Escape at 97%.
Loose PlayTech Slots: You have to be a lot more selective with PlayTech than with most other slot software houses. There are a lot of slots in the 91% to 93% range, which is horribly tight compared to their rivals. Even some flagship Marvel titles are in the ‘no-go' zone, with the Hulk 50 line one to completely avoid… none of the Marvel slots makes it into the ‘loose' category. Good options include Sinbad's Golden Voyage (97.01%) and Neptune's Kingdom at 97.19%. Monty Python's Spamalot, which has a huge jackpot has a lower 93.99% RTP.
You can find MicroGaming, PlayTech and NetEnt Slots at the popular www.unibet.com.
RTP of US Casino Slots
Loose RealTime Gaming Slots: The returns for RTG slots are adjustable by the casinos. These can range from 91% to 97% RTP, and you will not usually know what returns each casino is giving you. If you want to enjoy RealTime Gaming slots, it is vital that you do so at a big and well-known brand casino.
Loose Rival Gaming Slots: There are some very loose slots in the Rival Gaming range, which include some of their flagship iSlots. Conversely, some titles are ridiculously tight – for example Eggstravaganza only manages 89.5% and 1 Million Reels BC 90.6%. The best option is the iSlot ‘Cosmic Quest 2' which returns 97.89%, another good RTP on an iSlot is the second instalment of ‘As the Reels Turn' which clocks in at 97%.
Loose BetSoft Slots: You'll find very few bad slots in the BetSoft range, with the majority of titles either side of 96%. There are a couple of bad deals, Gold Diggers for example is 91.23%. Some of the most popular titles are loose, with Good Girl / Bad Girl, Greedy Goblins and At The Copa all above 97% RTP.
You can find BetSoft, Rival and RTP slots at the popular www.bovada.com
How to Find Loose Slots to Play Online
The lists above are just a starting point. Once you figure what kind of slots to aim for, you will want to check how tight they are before you start playing.
I recommend you check the rules and / or terms of use for each game. This will give you a figure which is usually represented by the acronym ‘RTP'.
RTP stands for return to player, and is the percentage of stakes that will be paid out in prizes over the long term. There is one more thing you need to understand before going ahead – variance.
A jackpot slot which pays out $1 million once a year may well have the same RTP over time as a simple game which pays out smaller wins quite often. From the individual's perspective, the jackpot game is not loose at all – those occasional giant payouts skew the average, and most players will experience an RTP which is on the tight side.
Think about the many games you have played. Most can be put into one of two categories – small frequent wins or larger wins that are less common. Sugar smash game download. This is the variance of a game, the higher the variance the bigger the bankroll swings you will experience while playing.
High variance slots can be the most enjoyable to play (that excitement of a big win makes a nice difference). This depends on exactly why you are playing.
What's The Best Online Casino
If you are playing to clear a bonus, or to relax with a nice long session then what you should aim for is a slot which is both loose and low variance.
If you have the cash and want to aim for a big win without throwing your cash away into a ‘tight' slot, then high variance games (including those with big jackpots) may be just what you are after.
Staking and Loose Slots
Now that you understand the role of variance when assessing the RTP of a slot, you can consider how your bankroll management and staking preferences work with this. The idea here is that the higher the variance of a slot, the bigger bankroll you will need to play it. With slots that pay bigger and less frequently, you will sometimes find yourself out of credits before you hit a big win. If you prefer the lower variance loose slots, then you should find yourself turning over your bankroll multiple times – and will not need so much cash to start with to enjoy a long gaming session.
My rule of thumb is to bet less as a percentage of your entire bankroll the higher the inherent variance of a slot. Clues include TV / Movie tie-ins, big progressive jackpots and feature rounds with extra big prizes compared to the base game.
How to Make Loose Slots Event Looser!
Many of you will have figured that loose slots with lower variance are the ideal candidates to take advantage of casino bonuses with.
You should also understand that by picking the slot with the higher RTP, adding bonuses and comp (loyalty) points, you can turn the edge in your favour (at least while you are clearing the bonus) .
Loose Slot RTP – 97%
Add Bonus Clearance: 2%
Add Comp Point Value: 0.5%
In this example you have reduced the house edge to a tiny 0.5% - there are rarely better opportunities than that available in online casinos.
There are plenty of loose slots to be found online in 2021. For me this makes it all the more surprizing that most players miss out, and play the tighter ones. Casinos for mobile phones. Of course the main reason is lack of knowledge as to which slots are loose and which ones are tight. It is not as if the casinos are going to tell you directly after all!
This page shows you how to find loose slots, gives you examples from some of the main slot software houses covering both US and non-US players – and then goes on to explain how you can adjust your staking, bankroll and use of incentives like bonuses, comps and spins to make the loose slots looser still.
First, a definition – what makes a slot ‘Loose'
The accepted benchmark in casinos is that a slot that returns more than 96% of bets to a player is put into the loose category. Conversely, a slot which returns less than 96% is considered tight.
This is an old definition which comes from live casino slots, my view is that a truly loose one should pay a little more than 96% - I'm thinking in the 96.5% to 97% range. If you stick to slots with reasonably low variance that pay out well, then you have found an ideal game to use for playing through your bonus credits.
Examples of Loose and Tight Slots
Here are some examples of slots from some of the big software houses which fall into the loose and tight categories. For the non-US ones (MicroGaming, NetEnt, PlayTech) the clear best place to play them all is at the Unibet Casino where you'll find more than 600 slots from all of the major software houses.
If you are US based you can enjoy those loose RTG, Rival and BetSoft slots at the huge Bovada Casino – the #1 offshore outfit with more than 10 years of experience looking after US based players. Check out www.bovada.lv
Non-US Casino Software
Loose MicroGaming Slots: There is a lot of variation in the MicroGaming range, with many slots at 96% and above, and many at very low RTPs of 94% and below. Their flagship jackpot slots are in the ‘avoid' list, with both Major Millions and Mega Moolah not even reaching 90% (terrible!). There are some slots over 97% including Feathered Frenzy, Hot as Hades and Treasure Island. For the record, their most popular non-progressive title – ThunderStruck II – has a solid RTP of 96.6%
Loose NetEnt Slots: In contrast, the biggest jackpot slot at Net Entertainment casinos – Mega Fortune – has a solid 96.4% RTP. Other popular slots include Hall of Gods at 95.5% (on the low side for me) and Gonzo's Quest at a more reasonable 96.1%. In general, it is hard to go too far wrong with NetEnt, most of their slots are in the 95%+ bracket. Good examples include Kings of Chicago at 97.8% and the new Tornado: Farm Escape at 97%.
Loose PlayTech Slots: You have to be a lot more selective with PlayTech than with most other slot software houses. There are a lot of slots in the 91% to 93% range, which is horribly tight compared to their rivals. Even some flagship Marvel titles are in the ‘no-go' zone, with the Hulk 50 line one to completely avoid… none of the Marvel slots makes it into the ‘loose' category. Good options include Sinbad's Golden Voyage (97.01%) and Neptune's Kingdom at 97.19%. Monty Python's Spamalot, which has a huge jackpot has a lower 93.99% RTP.
You can find MicroGaming, PlayTech and NetEnt Slots at the popular www.unibet.com.
RTP of US Casino Slots
Loose RealTime Gaming Slots: The returns for RTG slots are adjustable by the casinos. These can range from 91% to 97% RTP, and you will not usually know what returns each casino is giving you. If you want to enjoy RealTime Gaming slots, it is vital that you do so at a big and well-known brand casino.
Loose Rival Gaming Slots: There are some very loose slots in the Rival Gaming range, which include some of their flagship iSlots. Conversely, some titles are ridiculously tight – for example Eggstravaganza only manages 89.5% and 1 Million Reels BC 90.6%. The best option is the iSlot ‘Cosmic Quest 2' which returns 97.89%, another good RTP on an iSlot is the second instalment of ‘As the Reels Turn' which clocks in at 97%.
Loose BetSoft Slots: You'll find very few bad slots in the BetSoft range, with the majority of titles either side of 96%. There are a couple of bad deals, Gold Diggers for example is 91.23%. Some of the most popular titles are loose, with Good Girl / Bad Girl, Greedy Goblins and At The Copa all above 97% RTP.
You can find BetSoft, Rival and RTP slots at the popular www.bovada.com
How to Find Loose Slots to Play Online
The lists above are just a starting point. Once you figure what kind of slots to aim for, you will want to check how tight they are before you start playing.
I recommend you check the rules and / or terms of use for each game. This will give you a figure which is usually represented by the acronym ‘RTP'.
RTP stands for return to player, and is the percentage of stakes that will be paid out in prizes over the long term. There is one more thing you need to understand before going ahead – variance.
A jackpot slot which pays out $1 million once a year may well have the same RTP over time as a simple game which pays out smaller wins quite often. From the individual's perspective, the jackpot game is not loose at all – those occasional giant payouts skew the average, and most players will experience an RTP which is on the tight side.
Think about the many games you have played. Most can be put into one of two categories – small frequent wins or larger wins that are less common. Sugar smash game download. This is the variance of a game, the higher the variance the bigger the bankroll swings you will experience while playing.
High variance slots can be the most enjoyable to play (that excitement of a big win makes a nice difference). This depends on exactly why you are playing.
What's The Best Online Casino
If you are playing to clear a bonus, or to relax with a nice long session then what you should aim for is a slot which is both loose and low variance.
If you have the cash and want to aim for a big win without throwing your cash away into a ‘tight' slot, then high variance games (including those with big jackpots) may be just what you are after.
Staking and Loose Slots
Now that you understand the role of variance when assessing the RTP of a slot, you can consider how your bankroll management and staking preferences work with this. The idea here is that the higher the variance of a slot, the bigger bankroll you will need to play it. With slots that pay bigger and less frequently, you will sometimes find yourself out of credits before you hit a big win. If you prefer the lower variance loose slots, then you should find yourself turning over your bankroll multiple times – and will not need so much cash to start with to enjoy a long gaming session.
My rule of thumb is to bet less as a percentage of your entire bankroll the higher the inherent variance of a slot. Clues include TV / Movie tie-ins, big progressive jackpots and feature rounds with extra big prizes compared to the base game.
How to Make Loose Slots Event Looser!
Many of you will have figured that loose slots with lower variance are the ideal candidates to take advantage of casino bonuses with.
You should also understand that by picking the slot with the higher RTP, adding bonuses and comp (loyalty) points, you can turn the edge in your favour (at least while you are clearing the bonus) .
Loose Slot RTP – 97%
Add Bonus Clearance: 2%
Add Comp Point Value: 0.5%
In this example you have reduced the house edge to a tiny 0.5% - there are rarely better opportunities than that available in online casinos.
Where to Play Loose Slots in 2021?
What Is The Best Online Casino Site
Here are my recommendations, the first is for readers outside of the US. For US players, skip to the second recommendation below.
#1 Loose Slots at Unibet Casino
With more than 600 slots from all of the world's biggest software houses available without needing a download, Unibet has become the go-to destination in Europe and beyond for huge numbers of slot fans. You can try out the games before you deposit, and will be extremely well looked after if you do join. You can get 50 free spins on the biggest jackpot slot around (Mega Riches) + a 100% deposit bonus – you'll also get to enjoy the biggest selection of loose slots in 2021 for any big brand. Check out www.unibet.com for yourself now!
#2 Loose Slots at Bovada Casino
Bovada are the biggest and best of the offshore casinos welcoming US players. This brand used to be known as Bodog, before rebranding. Uniquely, you'll find slots from 3 major software houses here with Rival Gaming, RTG and the amazing 3D titles from BetSoft all available. There are plenty of loose titles, and plenty of huge bonuses too – with a welcome package worth up to $3000 waiting for new players and top-rated promotions. Check out www.bovada.lv for more.