Progressive jackpots: who offers more often - pokies or classics

1) What is the progressive jackpot

The progressive jackpot is an accumulating prize pool that increases with each player bet. Unlike a fixed jackpot, the winning amount is not limited in advance and grows until the moment of winning.

Fund formation: A percentage of each bet is added to the pool.
Winning mechanics: most often a random trigger or a rare combination.
Feature: the probability of winning is minimal, but the amount can potentially reach millions.

2) Progressive jackpots in Pokies (Australia)

In offline games, progressive jackpots are limited:
  • More often found in network systems, where several machines are combined into a common pool.
  • In bars and clubs, jackpots are usually local, with relatively small amounts (several thousand AUD).
  • Large casinos have centralized networks where jackpots can reach hundreds of thousands of AUD.
  • Australia's regulation limits the percentage going into the jackpot, further reducing the game's underlying RTP.
  • Total: there are jackpots in the hocks, but their size and frequency are lower than in global online networks.

3) Progressive jackpots in classic slots

Jackpots are historically rare in traditional slot machines.
Classic (3 reels, simple symbols): most often fixed payments.
Modern adaptations of the classics online: progressive jackpots are sometimes introduced, but this is more of a marketing addition.
The most famous progressive networks (Mega Moolah, Mega Fortune, Divine Fortune) are not built on classics, but on video slots with modern graphics and functions.

4) Online vs Offline

Online slots: Progressive jackpots are more common and larger. An example is Microgaming or NetEnt global networks, where the fund is formed at the expense of players from around the world. The amounts reach tens of millions of dollars.
Offline poker: jackpots are limited to the local network of machines, their potential is less. Large winnings are possible, but statistically much less common and at lower amounts.
Classics online: Mostly progressive-free, except for individual "retro jackpot slots."

5) Jackpot impact on RTP

The percentage of the bet that goes into the jackpot reduces the base RTP slot.
In offline streams, RTP is already lower (90-94%), and progression reduces it even more.
In online progressive slots, the base RTP can be 92-95%, while without a jackpot, the same games offer 96-97%.
For the player, this means: jackpot - a bet on a rare large win at the cost of reducing the frequency of ordinary payments.

6) Who offers progressive jackpots more often

Pokie (offline): Local jackpots are available at almost all major casinos, but with limited size.
Classic slots: almost never, except for adaptations.
Modern online slots: this is where the largest and most famous progressive networks are concentrated.

7) Practical conclusions for the player

1. If the goal is a chance for a multi-million dollar win, it is worth looking towards online slots with global progressives.
2. If the comfort of offline games and the atmosphere are important, pokies with local jackpots give a chance for a big prize within the casino, but the probability is small.
3. For those who prefer a stable return, it is better to choose slots without progressive jackpots and with RTP ≥96%.
4. The progressive jackpot is always a trade-off: a huge potential gain against declining mathematical returns.

8) The bottom line

The classics offer almost no progressives, except for rare adaptations.
Offline pokies give access to local jackpots, but the amounts are limited.
Online slots are the main source of the largest progressive jackpots with multimillion-dollar funds.
Conclusion: it is more profitable to choose modern online slots for the jackpot game, and not classics or offline pokies.