Let’s not kid ourselves. Although pokies may be fun, there is one reason why we choose to play progressive online pokies. And that’s the chance at the massive jackpot. As everyone knows, these are the games with the biggest potential payouts. Some regularly reach into the six-digit figures, which for most of us is a hefty sum. Others frequently reach the $1M+ range, turning regular folks like us into millionaires in a single spin.
While pretty much all progressive games make for a good choice, if you are after a massive win, you will need to choose right. That means finding the games that pay the biggest prizes, preferably on a regular basis. So without further ado, here are our top six choices for the biggest progressive online pokies.
1. Microgaming’s Mega Moolah is the biggest fish in the sea
If there is a single pokies game synonymous with massive jackpots, Mega Moolah is most certainly it. Anyone who’s been around online casinos for even the shortest amount of time, probably already knows this game. Brought to us by Microgaming, Mega Moolah is an engaging slots game with an African jungle theme. Lions are your Wild symbol, head-hunter trophies are your Scatter symbol, and zebras, giraffes, elephants, and other animals regularly line your reels.
Like many progressive games, there is actually more than one jackpot on the table. In fact, there are four: The Mini Jackpot, the Minor Jackpot, the Major Jackpot, and finally the Mega Jackpot, which of course is the biggest of all. What makes Mega Moolah so unique, and popular amongst players is the guaranteed payout made possible by Microgaming seeding the machine with $1 million dollars each time the big prize is won. That means the minimum Mega Jackpot prize is $1M, though usually it’s a fair bit more as a part of each bet is put in the collective pool, until the next big win.
Sounds serious, right? Well, how about this? Mega Moolah has paid out over $50 million in cash to its winners in a single year! That’s right. In 2018 alone, seven players won a total of $50.2 million, which works out to an average of $7.2 million dollars each. No pokies machine comes close to competing with this level of payouts.
With these kinds of numbers, it is no surprise that Mega Moolah is also the online casino game to payout the biggest single win ever with an €18,915,721 prize awarded to one lucky pokies player on September 28, 2018. This jackpot was so big, it made the Guinness Book of World Records for the biggest single pokies win of all time. Fancy that!
If you’re wondering where to find Mega Moolah slots, you can do a simple Google search for Mega Moolah slots. Basically, since it’s such a crowd pleaser, any online casino that offers Microgaming casino games will offer Mega Moolah as well. And with Microgaming being one of the top casino software providers on the market, you’ll find plenty of casinos from which to choose.
2. Mega Fortune progressive pokies brought to us by NetEnt
The next winner in our line-up for biggest paying progressive pokies is Mega Fortune. Like Mega Moolah by Microgaming, it was launched in 2008 and has impressively stood the test of time, staying relevant and popular, year after year.
Mega Fortune may seem ordinary at first glance with 5 reels, 3 rows, and 25 bet lines, but it’s anything but the standard stuff. Jam-packed with stylish status symbols like fancy cars, cigars, cognac, dollar signs and jewels, this pokies powerhouse developed by gaming giant NetEnt is legendary in nature, paying out some serious sums.
A couple of examples for inspiration? In mid-2018 it paid out a massive cash sum of €5,996,418 to one lucky Swedish player. The year before in May 2017, another online casino player from Sweden hit the jackpot on a €2.50 spin, and walked away €3,317,629 richer! But it’s not only Swedes who enjoy a dose of good luck on Mega Fortune, so fret not our Aussie fans. Players the world over are always winning here, like the anonymous student from Finland who won Mega Fortune’s all-time biggest jackpot prize at €17,860,868 a few years back in 2015.
In addition to the massive life-changing winnings triggered by spinning the feature’s inner wheel, there is plenty of fun to be had along the way. This game’s got a free spin feature, multipliers, and bonus features, that add some spice to every round.
Beyond the big winnings, Mega Fortune has the combo effect that makes it a big winner, and that’s the rate at which it pays. How often is the progressive jackpot won here you’re wondering? Estimates have it at once in every 10 weeks, give or take, which means it takes around two months on average.
3. Hall of Gods slots also delivers divine jackpots
Another high paying progressive jackpot game is Hall of Gods slots, again brought to us by NetEnt. This time, you guessed it, the theme is all about Norse mythology. That means what you’re going to find here are godly symbols like Loki, Idun, Freya and Thor for good measure. But if you haven’t brushed up on your Norse mythology, no need to worry. You don’t need to be an A-level student to persevere here.
What you do need, however, is to trigger the bonus round with a minimum of three or more of Thor’s Hammers, while playing all 20 pay lines, for your chance at any one of the three jackpots better known as the Mini Jackpot, the Midi Jackpot, and the Mega Jackpot. Much like a scratch and win the game, once this round is triggered, you’ll need to crack the mirrors and match three prize symbols – preferably the Mega Jackpot symbols – to win the prizes.
While Hall of Gods isn’t as popular or prolific or high-paying as Mega Moolah or Mega Fortunes, it ain’t too shabby either. In fact, each year it has some serious mega-million-dollar jackpot winners itself.
4. Another NetEnt powerhouse: Arabian Nights progressive pokies
Coming in at number four on our big jackpot paying list is another goodie but oldie, Arabian Nights progressive jackpot slots. Launched all the way back in 2005, it’s a virtual dinosaur by online casino standards, except for when it comes to the progressive pokies, which we’re seeing somehow really stand the test of time. Maybe they knew how to make the best back then, or perhaps it was beginner’s luck, or maybe we all just got used to playing them, but there really is a strong theme of endurance when it comes to the progressive game format.
Anyhow, back to the game at hand. Arabian Nights can be found in pretty much any online casino that carries NetEnt games. The background music is pretty great, with hooting owls and a twinkling tune in the air, keeping you alert while you wait to hit upon the mysteries of the big payout! And the symbols will get you in the spirit with pointy-tipped satin slippers, tasseled fezes, a picturesque palace, camels, swords and more.
While the entertainment factor is certainly stellar, let’s remember, you’re here for the jackpot. And if you’re wondering, that can be huge. The biggest we’re aware of was a whopping prize of about €8.6 million in 2015. Before that, the biggest win was €4.8 million back in 2010. But plenty of people have won some serious cash prizes in between and ever since, which is inspiration enough.
If you’re after the progressive pot, just remember, you’ll need to bet the maximum in order to qualify. Otherwise, your max jackpot will be set at a fixed rate of 10,000 coins. After that, there’s not much you can do. You’ll have to cross your fingers and hope for five Arabian men to line your reels.
5. Beach Life by Playtech
No list of biggest progressive online pokies would be complete without a mention of Playtech’s flagship progressive pokies game, Beach Life. As the name implies, this virtual machine is all about kicking back and relaxing, just like we Aussies love! As such, the reels are lined with fun beach inspired symbols like a surfer, ice cream, tanning babe, snorkeler and Wild Sun. But at the end of the day, the real gem here is the treasure chest that may await.
While the theme here is laid back, the potential prizes are anything but, regularly moving into the $1M plus range. However, unlike Mega Moolah, this game isn’t seeded that high, so it will take some patience until the big time numbers are reached. Then it’s time to hit the pokies and try your luck.
By the way, while Beach Life is Playtech’s classic, the company has recently come out with some more current progressive games, that are quickly surmounting its popularity. These include the Age of the Gods progressive pokies series with games like Goddess of Wisdom, Prince of Olympus, and Furious 4 all tied together. Similarly, its superhero pokies series has a huge range of networked games like Aquaman, The Dark Knight, and the Green Lantern all sharing the same jackpot fate.
6. Mega Moolah ISIS
Wait, you may be thinking if you’ve been reading closely. Didn’t we already cover Mega Moolah? Good call. We most certainly did. But we also need to give fair coverage to its spinoff game Mega Moolah ISIS by Microgaming, which is a gem of its own. This time instead of a jungle theme, we’re off to ancient Egypt symbolized by the Eye of Horus, Cleopatra, ancient artifacts and the mummy’s tomb amongst others. And of course, there’s the Egyptian soundtrack music to match.
Like the original Mega Moolah game, this one has a Mini, Minor, Major, and Mega jackpot. Which makes sense. Because in addition to sharing a near identical name, these games share the same networked jackpot. That means the same jackpot can be won betting on either one of these games. So why choose one over the other? No reason really. Mainly it’s a matter of taste in terms of graphics, though many will claim the original Mega Moolah pays out more.
The key to winning a progressive jackpot prize
While there is no way to guarantee a win on a progressive jackpot machine (or any game for that matter), there are a few tips that can help.
First of all, you will need to identify the jackpot games on any casino website. Usually, you will be able to find them under a separate navigation tab labeled something intuitive along the lines of “Jackpot Games”. Since progressive games are such a huge draw, many online casinos also prominently feature their jackpot games on the casino’s homepage. If the jackpot is particularly huge, it may even be highlighted in the top homepage banner with a message along the lines of “This jackpot is ripe to burst” – encouraging you to play.
If you want to know how much each jackpot game is currently paying, you can also check out the site’s mesmerizing jackpot ticker. Many online casinos have this nice little feature that highlights the fast-growing sums, as each bet is placed. Just watching the number climb is inspiration enough to get started, but it’s also a helpful way to choose if you’re after the massive payoff. If the site doesn’t have a ticker, you can also simply click on your game of choice, to easily see the current prize up for grabs.
As for how to win, you will need to look up each game’s information for the exact details. For most progressive games, you’ll need to bet the maximum in order to qualify for the mega payout. But not all. So again, check, so you don’t miss out based on a poorly placed bet. Also, each game plays out differently, so you may want to familiarise yourself with the pay lines and bonus round structure first, so you know what to watch for as you spin the reels.
After that, like any game, it is all a matter of odds. If lady luck is on your side, then you too may become the next instant millionaire.