Progressive Jackpot Versus Non-Progressive Jackpot Slots

If you are still learning about online slots, then you may be wondering what the difference is amongst the terms jackpot slot, progressive jackpot slot, and a non-progressive jackpot slot.

In this article, we will briefly explain how these slot terms are used by online casinos so you know exactly what to expect. We also want to help you avoid confusion when you are reading or watching videos about slots and the writer or presenter is using these terms interchangeably incorrectly.

For example, a lot of people tend to use the term jackpot slot when the slot does not have a fixed or progressive jackpot. What they likely referring to is the slot’s maximum or highest payout amount. In these areas of confusion that this article aims to iron out.

Points of confusion:

  • Referring to a slot maximum payout as a jackpot
  • Jackpot slot definition
  • Non-progressive jackpot slot
  • Progressive jackpot slot

Is The Maximum Payout The Jackpot?

The answer to this question is a resounding yes, but here is where the confusion comes in.

You could technically say that any slot is a jackpot slot. They all have a maximum or highest payout amount, which slot players all refer to as the slot’s jackpot. They are not wrong to use the term jackpot to describe the slot’s highest win either as this is the best payout the slot has to offer.

Yet, unless the slot has a fixed or progressive jackpot on display, most casinos do not consider this type of slot as a jackpot slot. It is simply labelled as a video slot.

For example, a classic slot is likely to have very few features such as free spins or bonus rounds. Therefore, the highest win is usually formed by a combination of 3 symbols if it is a 3×3 classic slot game. The highest-valued symbol combination would, therefore, be the jackpot win, which is usually a combination of 3 symbols on a pay line that spans from left to right across 3 reels.

Another example is when a slot that advertises the highest win is 100,000 coins via its featured bonus. That win is the slot’s jackpot because no other win is higher.

Nevertheless, online casinos do not use the term jackpot slot for any of the aforementioned slot examples.

Unless the slot has a fixed or progressive jackpot, the online casinos do not consider this type of slot as a jackpot slot. It is just referred to as a video slot. You will learn why this is in the following sections.

Jackpot Slots

Jackpot slots can have either a non-progressive or a progressive jackpot. However, what differentiates a non-progressive or progessive slot from a standard video slot?

The simple answer is that each slot will have a fixed section that clearly defines the jackpot payout and how to win it.

Essentially, the slot gives you a target to hit and in order to win the jackpot on display, you need to hit that target to release the said jackpot. This could be a fixed symbol combination that triggers the jackpot or a feature within a bonus round that need to be triggered.

For instance, Microgaming’s Mega Moolah is the highest paying progressive slot online and has 4 jackpots. To win 1 of the progressive jackpots you need to trigger the bonus round. You then need to play the feature game which is a wheel of fortune. In order to win one of the jackpots, the wheel needs to stop on one of the jackpots. As a result, the target is to get into the feature game and get lucky spinning the wheel.

There are also a large number of slots that payout without needing a feature to trigger the jackpot win. They will just randomly pay a lucky winner who just happened to be playing on the right slot at the right time.

Progressive Jackpot Vs Non-Progressive Jackpot

The jackpot defines whether or not a slot is a non-progressive or progressive jackpot slot.

Progressive Jackpot Slots Explained

Progressive jackpot slots are always rising in value as time ticks on. This is the same for any progressive jackpot game such as progressive roulette, progressive blackjack or progressive Caribbean poker. The jackpot continue to rise until such a time someone triggers the payout feature or the slot decides its coffers are full and it is time to dispense the jackpot to an unsuspecting winner.

Non-Progressive Jackpot Slots Explained

Non-progressive slots can also be referred to as fixed jackpot slots. The only key differentiation that can be made from a progressive jackpot slot is that the non-progressive jackpot win is the same every time. Also, non-progressive jackpots usually need a trigger to pay their big win, whereas some progressive jackpots payout randomly.

As we mentioned earlier in this article, if you are playing a jackpot slot with a non-progressive jackpot, the jackpot will be clearly defined in a section on the slot labelled ‘Jackpot’. Most non-progressive jackpot slots will have

If you visit the jackpots or jackpot slots section of an online casino, you may see some casinos mixing progressive jackpot slots with non-progressive slots. While other casinos will only place progressive jackpot slots in these sections.

On the other hand, you will also come across some casinos that avoid all confusion by simply naming the section ‘progressives’, ‘progressive jackpots’, or ‘progressive jackpot slots’. The naming convention is entirely down to the individual casino.


Just because a slot may advertise the maximum payout, that does not make it a jackpot slot. Instead, these slots are still referred to as a standard video slot game.

On the other hand, jackpot slots have clearly defined jackpots that are visible on the slot’s main interface alongside the reels, and clear instructions on how to win the jackpot. That said, in some cases, progressive jackpot slots may not need a triggering feature to induce a jackpot payout and rather the jackpot is randomly activated.