Introduction
Upon choosing an online casino to play at, you will first lay your gaze upon the almost endless list of online slot games currently available to players. With each of these games featuring its own distinctive graphical thematics and pay symbols, no two games are the same. Not only do online slot games have the ability to stand out through their visuals, but the inclusion of exciting bonus mechanics also helps releases stand out from the abundance of titles currently available.
When mentioning bonus mechanics, one of the largest and most popular among players is the addition of jackpots. Adding an element of excitement regardless of the games they feature in, jackpots add some of the largest winning potentials across the online casino industry, with some potentially substantial prizes on offer that players can win. As more and more jackpot titles come to the forefront of the sector, jackpot wins continue to impress, consistently setting records when it comes to casino wins.
Taking a closer look at jackpots, however, you will soon find multiple variations of the conventional Jackpot slot games. Each of these Jackpots has its own unique bonus formulas, all of which offer different prizes. In addition to this, triggering and activating these prizes is accomplished in a host of different ways, all depending on the type of bonus you may be playing towards. Consequently, it is always beneficial to know as much as possible about the various jackpot mechanics on offer. Luckily for you, we will be breaking down everything you need to know regarding jackpots and detailing all the different types you may come across during your online slot gameplay experience.
The Various Types of Online Slot Game Jackpots
When playing one of the many online jackpot games available, several different mechanics could be in play, with varying types of jackpots having different values and traits.
Local Jackpots
The locality is one of the factors that can influence a jackpot. A jackpot can be machine-based, with the jackpot being added from player bets staked solely at the machine. This is common in more traditional casinos; however, it can be applied to some online jackpot slot games. These are known as local jackpots; however, due to fewer players, these are often considerably lower than the other types of jackpots available.
Network Jackpots
Moving onto the next type of jackpot that is prevalent through many titles in the online slot game world, Network jackpots are often much larger in value when compared to the previously mentioned local jackpots.
With players from all over the globe having the ability to play on one distinct network, this allows these players to contribute to this respective jackpot. As a result, these can steadily increase by increments depending on player bets that have been staked, meaning there is some potential for decently large payouts. However, due to these jackpots often being higher in value, there are subsequently higher variance rates when it comes to these and overall odds being lower when it comes down to actually triggering or activating one of these jackpots.
Fixed Jackpots
Fixed jackpots are one of the most straightforward and easy-to-understand jackpot concepts that players could stumble across when selecting an online casino game. By just reading the name, you can discern what main trait these jackpots have. These prizes are set at a certain value and don’t have any progressive natures, meaning they don’t increase based on contributions from player stakes. Despite this sounding like a negative, these jackpots can often offer some of the largest jackpot prizes in the world of online jackpot slot games.
This is because it is still possible to influence the prizes on offer. This is accomplished by adjusting your stake, as the fixed jackpot is usually based on your wagering amount, adding a potentially substantial multiplier. Consequently, should you stake more, the jackpot will likely increase but remain at a set value. As a result of this, the requirements needed to trigger one of these jackpots and claim the prize are difficult to accomplish, often meaning they are the hardest part to obtain when playing a respective fixed jackpot slot game.
Progressive Jackpots
The jackpot mechanic that is the most popular and commonplace in the online casino world is the progressive jackpot. These jackpots are favorable due to their ability to constantly grow in value, which is done by taking a percentage of player stakes that have been wagered on a particular slot or franchise of games.
Due to their progressive nature, these can grow to some potentially immense values when compared to the other jackpot mechanics. To keep track of the jackpots on offer, most of these games will have a clear box displaying the available jackpot, which will steadily grow. However, like many other jackpots, these can be considerably hard to activate, purely down to the large prizes on offer. Should one of the progressive jackpots be won, these will be reset and begin to increase in value again.
Summary
Jackpots can often be defining features of online casino games they feature in, adding additional gameplay layers for players to enjoy. As you would expect, these jackpots often have the potential to be some of the highest-paying features within the online slot world, with some potentially huge sums being paid out should you be lucky enough to hit all the requirements to trigger one of them.
Like with so many other bonus features, jackpots are also slot game mechanics that can differ vastly from title to title. Whether it be the prizes on offer or how they are activated, it can be extremely beneficial to read up on the various variations of jackpots that may be present in the title of your choice. Ensuring you know what is in store regarding the respective jackpot in play could help influence your gameplay choices.
Regarding gambling, we must reiterate that when choosing to play any online casino game, wins are never guaranteed, especially regarding jackpots. You should never feel pressured to chase any of these prizes, so please remember always to gamble responsibly and only play with funds you can afford and are willing to lose potentially.