Beginners might ask themselves the question: What is a progressive jackpot? The answer goes back to defining the term progressive slot as a gaming machine on which the jackpot gets higher and higher with each wager.

Consequently, the jackpot is also progressive. Each bet makes it grow, until the final point when one of the players wins. In this case the value of the jackpot is given by the established percentage of the accumulated wagers of a series of machines or of one particular machine. The big surprise is that even if you don't hit the jackpot, you can still win smaller prizes. On the other hand, if you have a lucky day, you might catch the magic symbols that are reserved to the jackpot and go home with all the money stored in the machine till that moment.

Classification of progressives

In the world of gambling and slots, there can be different types of games, of machines and it is important to have at least knowledge of the meaning of these versions and terms. In terms of progressives, there are also different types of slots.

• The single progressive, as its name shows, is not in correspondence with other machines. Therefore, its jackpot is predetermined, meaning that its value is given by a fixed percentage of the sum of every gamble made on this machine. Just like on other progressives, the jackpot rises with every bet.

  On the foreground of these slot machines there is a meter that shows the growth of the jackpot till that specific moment. The cash out will not be as high on the single machines as on those linked in series.

• These linked progressives, or in-house machines, are slots being coordinated generally by one casino. In case the enterprise has several casinos, it can link its progressive machines together, so it is not mandatory to have all the progressives in one casino. Players usually prefer this kind of machine, because it is more likely to win big amounts of money or prizes on it.
• The third, and final, category would be that of extended-area progressives. Like the previous slots, these are also linked, but can be controlled by more than one enterprise, or casino. You can find them in any casino, owned by different companies. 'The winner takes it all', people use to say. Well, they might refer to these progressives, which offer incredible winnings. Once you hit this jackpot, you can start living your dream of richness and carefree lifestyle. No wonder that these winnings are very rare and reserved to one lucky person. They are as rare as to occur, as we would say, once in a lifetime. Those who feel lucky enough to win the big lottery, have to try out the slots on these machines.