Jackpot slots on mobile

What jackpot slots on mobile actually are

Every slot has a top prize. A jackpot slot adds a separate prize, or a ladder of prizes, that sits outside the usual symbol wins and is usually reached through a special bonus or a random trigger. On a phone, it is often shown as a ticker above the reels.

There are two broad kinds. A fixed jackpot pays the same amount, or the same multiple of your stake, every time. A progressive jackpot grows as players stake money and drops back to a starting figure, the seed, when someone wins it. The basics of any reel game are covered in our slots on mobile guide.

Progressives can be linked across many games and many casinos. That is how a single pot can reach millions: thousands of players in different apps are all feeding the same prize.

Fixed, progressive and network jackpots compared

The labels on a game card in an app don’t always make the difference clear, so the game’s rules are the place to look. Under UK technical standards, those rules must say how the jackpot is funded and what its seed and ceiling values are.

Mega Moolah, WowPot! and Jackpot King on mobile

Mega Moolah

Games Global’s Mega Moolah launched in November 2006 and is the best-known network progressive. A jackpot wheel can be triggered at random after any spin and awards one of four jackpot tiers. Its base game RTP is 88.12%, excluding the jackpot contribution, which is low for a modern slot.

WowPot!

WowPot! is a four-tier progressive from Games Global, with its top tier seeded at €2 million. According to iGaming Business’s report on the WowPot! record (opens in a new tab), it debuted in early 2020 on Wheel of Wishes from Alchemy Gaming and had paid over €225m to more than 5.3 million players across its games and tiers by January 2024. Mega Moolah is a separate network.

Jackpot King

Blueprint Gaming’s Jackpot King links many of its slots to a shared pool. In the base game, five or six Jackpot King symbols anywhere on the reels start a bonus where you collect crowns, and 15 or more crowns lead to the Wheel King, which awards a win multiplier or one of three progressive jackpots. OLBG’s Jackpot King guide (opens in a new tab) lists starting values of £50,000 for the top pot, £5,000 for Regal and £500 for Royal.

Since Jackpot King Deluxe in September 2018, the Royal and Regal pots must be won before reaching £3,500 and £35,000. Genie Jackpots, one of the first titles, is reviewed on our site, and our Jackpot King explainer covers the system in short.

Record jackpot wins, and what they really tell you

Headline wins are real, but they are extremely rare by design. Two figures are often quoted:

• On 30 April 2021, SBC News reported (opens in a new tab) that a player in Belgium won more than €19.4 million on Absolootly Mad Mega Moolah from a €15 stake.
• On 20 December 2023, Wheel of Wishes paid a WowPot! jackpot of €38,461,200.95, reported as the largest online slot jackpot win.

Both figures are in euros and from outside the UK. A €15 stake would not be allowed on a UK slot today, because of the £5 limit. More importantly, a pot reaches these sizes because huge numbers of spins have gone into it without it being won. Every one of those spins paid towards the prize.

A jackpot is not ‘due’ because it is large or has not paid for a while. Each spin is random and independent of the last.

How a progressive jackpot changes the RTP of a slot

A progressive pot has to be paid for, and it is paid for out of the game’s RTP. If 1% of every stake goes into the pot, £100,000 of play adds £1,000 to it. That 1% is still ‘returned to players’, but only to whoever wins the jackpot. Everyone else plays a base game with a lower return.

Divine Fortune shows the trade-off clearly. Its 96.59% includes about 4.07 points for the jackpot, so the base game returns roughly 92.52% (96.59 minus 4.07). On £100 staked, around £4.07 is set aside for a prize most players will never see, and the expected loss on the rest is about £7.48.

King Kong Cash Even Bigger Bananas makes the same point another way: the standard game is listed at 96%, the Jackpot King version at 94.99%. You can read about RTP versions in our RTP on mobile guide.

What jackpot slots cost in pounds

Expected loss is stake × house edge, using the base game RTP if you want to know what a typical session costs. Here is an illustration at 400 spins, which might be one long session on a phone.

So on Mega Moolah’s base game alone, a 20p player expects to lose almost three times as much as on a typical 96% slot, in exchange for a tiny chance at the wheel. That may be a fair choice if the jackpot is the entertainment you want, but it should be a conscious one.

Jackpot slots also tend to have long losing runs between features. Low volatility is listed for Mega Moolah, but low base returns still drain a budget steadily. Our house edge by game page compares slots with other formats.

UK rules for jackpot slots in casino apps

Progressive jackpots have their own section of the Gambling Commission’s technical standards. RTS 9 on progressive jackpot systems (opens in a new tab) says the rules must be available before you commit to play and must describe how the jackpot is funded, its start-up seed and any ceiling.

• Eligible players should be able to see current jackpot values, updated as often as practicable.
• If you are not eligible for a jackpot at your stake or in your version, that must be made clear.
• The chance of winning a jackpot should rise in line with the amount you contribute, so lower stakes can mean a lower chance.
• A winner should be told immediately after the jackpot is triggered.
• If a jackpot is withdrawn, contributions must be returned fairly, with priority to the players who made them.

All the usual slot rules apply as well: £5 a spin for over-25s and £2 for 18 to 24-year-olds, at least 2.5 seconds per spin and no autoplay. See slot stake limits and RTP information rules. Winnings are not taxed for UK players.

Playing progressive jackpot slots on a phone

Jackpot slots are HTML5 games, so they run the same in an iPhone app, an Android app or a browser. The jackpot ticker and tier display take up screen space, which on some games shrinks the reels in portrait mode. Rotating to landscape can help, if the game supports it.

Networked jackpot values come from a central server, so the ticker needs a connection to stay current. If your signal drops during a spin, read our guide on what happens if your app crashes mid-game.

How to read a jackpot slot’s rules in an app

1. Open the slot and tap its information or help icon.
2. Find the jackpot section and note how the prize is triggered: a bonus, a symbol combination or at random.
3. Check whether your stake level is eligible for every tier, or only some.
4. Look for the RTP and whether it includes the jackpot contribution. If two figures are shown, note the base game figure.
5. Read the seed and any ceiling or ‘must be won by’ value.
6. Decide your budget and session length before you start, and set a deposit limit in your account.

Our guide to finding a game’s RTP in an app explains where these figures usually sit.

Which casino apps suit jackpot slot players

The PlayOJO app names jackpot slots in its store description, and it is a casino-only brand with a compact 25.4 MB iPhone app needing iOS 15.0 or later. The Coral Casino app and Ladbrokes Casino app are large slot apps from the same operator; their listings don’t name specific jackpot networks, so check the app’s game lobby for the titles you want.

For ranked picks, see best jackpot slot apps and apps with Jackpot King slots. Quick answers live at can you win a jackpot on mobile and are jackpots smaller on casino apps. Prefer moving reels? Try our Megaways slots on mobile guide, or browse the mobile casino games hub.

Jackpot slot apps with a welcome offer

These partner offers are free spins on slots, and none gives entry to a jackpot game unless that game is among the offer’s selected titles. All are for new customers aged 18 or over; terms apply.

• PlayOJO: 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza with a first deposit of £10 or more. The spins are 10p each (£8 in total) with no wagering, so winnings are paid as cash. New UK customers excluding Northern Ireland; not combinable with other offers.
• Coral Casino: deposit and bet £10+ on slots for 100 free spins at 10p on selected games (£10 face value). Accept within 48 hours and use within 7 days; no wagering on winnings. Runs 1 October 2026 to 1 February 2027; PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafe, prepaid cards and certain debit cards don’t qualify.
• Ladbrokes Casino: deposit and spend £10+ on slots for 50 free spins a day over 10 days, up to 500 at 10p each. Claim by 23:59 each day; spins last 7 days with no wagering. Prepaid cards, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill and Moneybookers deposits are excluded.

Coral and Ladbrokes share an operator, LC International Limited, so you may only be able to take one of those two offers.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.