NJ Progressive Slots & Jackpots

Progressive jackpot slots are the games drawing people into land-based and online casinos all over New Jersey by promising already huge and continuously growing jackpot prizes.

The games are pretty much the same as other slots. The difference is the jackpot prize increases every time someone spins and doesn’t win it. Essentially, a small piece of every dollar bet on a progressive jackpot slot goes into that slot’s progressive jackpot prize pool.

The jackpot keeps growing until someone hits it, which means, most of the time, if a progressive jackpot gets big enough, players find out and go after it. More people playing pushes the prize up even further. In fact, many progressive jackpots in New Jersey reach seven figures regularly.

Eventually, someone hits it, and the jackpot returns to a baseline figure where it begins growing again with every spin.

Here in New Jersey, you’ll find progressive jackpot slots at both land-based and online casinos. Read on to find out how NJ progressive jackpot slots work, where you can find them online, and which ones have already big and always growing jackpots waiting to be won.

Types of progressive slots

Progressive slots are either stand-alone progressives or linked progressives, including network-wide progressives and area progressives.

• Stand-alone progressives feature a progressive jackpot on a single slot. The jackpot is contained on that single slot, meaning it only grows when people play that slot and can only be hit on that slot.
• Linked progressives feature jackpots linked among multiple slots.
• Area progressives feature a linked progressive jackpot on multiple slots in a defined area. That might mean a linked progressive jackpot on the same game or series of games at a group of connected NJ online casinos or Atlantic City casinos.
• Network-wide progressives are the biggest of the bunch, often featuring life-changing jackpots on multiple slots in a country-wide network. That might mean slots or series of slots at casinos all across the US from California to New Jersey and everywhere in between. It might also mean the same slots or series of slots in online casinos in different states where the law allows.

Biggest NJ progressive slot jackpots online

Borgata Casino and Bet MGM Casino run a linked progressive slots series they call The Big One. In July 2020, The Big One progressive jackpot was over $3.2 million. The Big One links together a growing series of slots on Borgata and BetMGM, now including:

• Loot'enkhamun
• Melon Madness
• Book of Myths
• Spin Bandit
• The Win Genie
• Biker Pigs
• MGM Grand Millions
• Melon Madness Deluxe
• Going Nuts
• Luck o' the Jackpot

When The Big One progressive jackpot was hit in late July 2020 by an NJ woman on BetMGM casino, it marked the largest jackpot paid out by a New Jersey online casino.

Other progressive slots at Borgata and BetMGM include Mercy of the Gods (avg. $108,000+ jackpot), Divine Fortune (avg. $85,000+ jackpot), and a series of smaller progressive penny slots.

Harrah’s Online Casino no longer hosts the Ultimate Genie slot. Harrah's progressive slots now include Casino Reels (avg. $21,000+ jackpot), The Royals Go Camping (avg. $22,000+ jackpot) and Ultimate Universe (avg. $31,000+ jackpot).

888 Casino's NJ progressive slots include a series of games:

• Saved by the Bells
• Aztec Realm
• Mermaid’s Millions
• Rise of the Pharaohs
• Santa’s Super Slot
• Oktoberfest Spins

Progressive slots on Caesars Online Casino include Divine Fortune and Siberian Storm.

The Golden Nugget Online Casino features one of the largest selections of progressive slots in NJ, including:

• Divine Fortune (avg. $139,000+ jackpot)
• Golden Money Frog (avg. $14,000+ jackpot)
• Gong Xi Fa Cai (avg. $14,000+ jackpot)
• Grand Spinn Superpot (avg. $20,000+ jackpot)
• Imperial Riches (avg. $31,000+ jackpot)
• Mercy of the Gods (avg. $40,000+ jackpot)
• One Red Cent (avg. $24,000+ jackpot)
• World of Ripley’s Believe It or Not (avg. $14,000+ jackpot)

Progressive slots on BetRivers Online Casino include Divine Fortune (avg. $118,000+ jackpot) and Mercy of the Gods.

Progressive slot games on the Virgin and Tropicana Gamesys online casino platform include Deal or No Deal (avg. $296,000+ jackpot on Virgin only) and Wonderland (avg. $93,000+ jackpot).

Betfair Online Casino NJ's progressive slots include Divine Fortune (avg. $125,000+ jackpot).

The Unibet online casino hosts progressive jackpot slots such as IGT Mega Jackpots linked progressive series titles like Siberian Storm and Cleopatra. It also hosts stand-alone progressives like Mercy of the Gods and Divine Fortune.

The biggest progressive slot wins in 2023

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement releases a list of all jackpots won in Atlantic City and online in New Jersey greater than $50,000.

From that list, here's a look at all the jackpots over $100,000 hit on progressive slot machines at NJ online casinos from Jan. 1 to February 15, 2023:

• Jan. 7, MGM Grand Millions, BetMGM, $2,839,968.97
• Jan. 2, Divine Fortune, BetRivers, $65,314.09

What are the most popular progressive slots in NJ?

NJ casino players have plenty to choose from when it comes to progressive slots. To help narrow down that slot machine list, here are some of the most popular titles right now.

1. Divine Fortune

Divine Fortune can be found at so many NJ online casinos it is no surprise this Greek mythology-themed, three-row and five-reel progressive slot has dished out more than $3 million in jackpots in New Jersey over the past few years.

The secret to winning the progressive jackpot on this NetEnt-designed slot lies in the bonus symbols. Landing three or more bonus symbols sends you to the jackpot bonus game, where you get three free spins. You'll get three more free spins whenever the bonus symbol lands again.

Plus, you'll win the progressive jackpot if you manage to fill all three rows with bonus symbols. There are also minor and major jackpots available for filling one or two rows with bonus symbols.

2. MegaJackpots Siberian Storm

MegaJackpots Siberian Storm always seems to be offering players the chance at a progressive jackpot over $500,000.

This five-reel hexagonal MultiWay Xtra payline slot was designed by IGT with 720 ways to win. The one that really counts is when you line up five MegaJackpots Siberian Storm symbols. Do that and you’ll be awarded that massive progressive jackpot.

3. Wonderland

The Virgin and Tropicana Wonderland progressive slot was hit for almost $500,000 in 2019.

Featuring the iconic characters and symbols from the Lewis Carroll classic “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," this West Pier Studio-designed five-reel progressive slot features four bonus games.

However, The Queen's Court is the one you're looking for.

It's a high-low card game that awards the progressive jackpot to anyone who turns over the joker card.

4. Loot'enkhamun

There are all kinds of ways to win some of the millions available in The Big One progressive slot at Borgata Casino and BetMGM. However, Loot'enkhamun is the only ancient Egyptian-themed slot with hieroglyphic symbols giving you that chance.

Just land some five different hieroglyphics scatter symbols for a shot at five different Big One jackpots.

The more you bet, the better your chances of finding your way to The Big One jackpot screen. There you will find a list of the jackpots and a chance to spin the color wheel. You’ll win the jackpot connected to whatever color the wheel lands on.

5. Mercy of the Gods

Mercy of the Gods is another Egyptian mythology-themed NetEnt-designed progressive slot that calls several NJ online casinos home. This one has five reels, three rows, 20 pay lines and a Gift of Wealth bonus game offering you the chance to win a minor, major or mega progressive.

Landing three Golden Heart bonus symbols will get you in the game. Fill all three rows with Golden Heart bonus symbols during the game and the mega progressive is yours.

How does the payout percentage work on progressive?

A slot's return-to-player rate is the percentage of money it takes in that it will, theoretically, payback to players over time. In other words, if a slot has an RTP of 95%, it will eventually pay out 95 cents of every dollar it takes in.

Of course, that doesn't mean you're going to get $95 out of every $100 you put in that slot when you sit down to play. That $95 will eventually be paid out to players over time, but that doesn’t necessarily include you.

It's all about timing. You'll need to be on the right side of the slot's RTP at the right time to win. The RTP should be realized over time, not in every single playing session.

House edge is the flip side of RTP. That same slot with an RTP of 95% gives the casinos a 5% house edge. That means the casino is going to keep 5% of every dollar bet on that slot.

Progressive slots generally have lower payout percentages. That’s because so much of the money a progressive slot takes in goes into the jackpot, generally leaving the other payouts smaller and less frequent.

The thing is, playing progressive slots is about chasing big jackpots with life-changing sums of money, not RTP.

How do you win a progressive jackpot?

There's no real strategy you can use to guarantee a win on any progressive slot. Slots are about luck, not skill, and you're going to need a huge amount of it to win a progressive jackpot.

However, you still have to put yourself in a position to win. While it varies from slot to slot, that almost always means making the maximum bet.

In other words, you will not be eligible to win the progressive on most progressive slots unless you make the maximum bet allowed. You can still play the game, but why bother.

There are all kinds of slots with better RTPs where you can spin for pennies. You should only play progressive slots to chase the progressive, and that almost always means making the maximum bet.

That said, it’s a good bet chasing jackpots is going to cost you. After all, the money in the jackpot comes from every losing spin.

Making the maximum bet on a progressive jackpot will surely prove costly over a lengthy period of time, and there’s no guarantee there’s a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. Therefore, you should be following responsible gambling principles when you play.

That means setting a limit on how much you can realistically afford to lose and sticking to it. Make sure losing that amount won't have a negative impact on your life. Show a little discipline and avoid chasing losses and that massive progressive jackpot pipe-dream that isn’t likely to ever happen.

Survive financially to play another day, and maybe you’ll get lucky then. Just don’t count on it.

Adopting this kind of attitude will help limit your losses to something you can afford and keep chasing big progressive jackpots as a fun pursuit until you win some serious money.