NZ’s top progressive pokies – where to play in 2024
Imagine winning a life-changing jackpot with a single spin of the reels. That's the thrill of playing progressive jackpot pokies, and it's no wonder they're so popular with New Zealand players.
But which progressive pokies are the best? And how can you increase your chances of winning? In this guide, we'll reveal the hottest progressive jackpot pokies trending right now, plus give you tips on how to play and win. Buckle up and get ready for a jackpot-chasing adventure!
Best progressive jackpot slots sites for September
A closer look at the best progressive jackpot pokies
Ever since IGT created the first land-based progressive jackpot game with Megabucks way back in 1986, these have become one of the most sought-after casino game categories. Microgaming brought us the first online progressive jackpot in 1998, with Cash Splash, which remains a fan favourite to date.
Nowadays, the top software providers have figured out that this is probably the most popular casino game, and many of them offer a good selection of the best progressive jackpot pokies in NZ. Below, you’ll find our experts’ list of the best jackpot slots with bonus rounds, free spins and the potential to win millions.
Mega Moolah
Probably the most famous of progressive jackpot slot titles and with good reason, as it’s been responsible for some of the largest prize money to ever be paid out on a pokie game. Microgaming’s smash hit works on a simple concept. You spin a wheel and hope to land on the Mini, Minor, Major or best of all, the Mega slot. Your chances of hitting the jackpot prize increase if you play the max bet.
Mega Fortune
Considered one of the best jackpot slot games, this NetEnt classic delivers oodles of luxury, with symbols that range from champagne bottles to limousines and even piles of cash. Which is what you could end up winning, if you manage to trigger the bonus games triggered by landing three bonus wheel symbols. This is when you’ll get your chance to make a play for the big win, as one of the wheels will spin to reveal an instant prize or allow you to move to the final wheel, where the largest progressive jackpots accumulate into the multi-million prize.
Hall of Gods
Take a journey into the world of Norse mythology with this NetEnt classic that remains one of the best progressive jackpot pokies in NZ. Played on a 5x3 grid, a minimum bet of NZ$0.20 gives you the chance to trigger the jackpot game by lining up three Thor’s Hammer symbols. This lets you use the hammer to break the shields and reveal what’s behind them. If you net three Mega Jackpot symbols you also net the mega prize.
Beach Life
Life’s a beach with this summer-themed progressive jackpot from Playtech. The RTP is very low at 93%, but Kiwi players love this slot anyway because it delivers the biggest jackpots. If you’re trying to surf your way to the standalone progressive jackpot prize, you’ll need to land five Sun symbols on the 20th payline. There’s also a bonus round that lets you choose prizes according to the number of bonus symbols earned, and the prizes are different every time so there’s plenty to keep things exciting.
Major Millions
One of the most well-known progressive jackpots slots, this one’s Millions by name and millions by nature. Launched in 2002, it continues to trend consistently with players in New Zealand. Its massive jackpot prizes, which start at NZ$250,000 but keep climbing well into the nine figures, are one of the reasons behind its popularity. Another reason is that, despite its potential for massive progressive pokies wins, its max bet is a very reachable NZ$3.
Divine Fortune
This is one of the top, mythology-themed progressive jackpots You have three big prizes to aim for – the Minor, Major and Mega jackpot. The progressive game is triggered by landing three gold coins, but there are plenty of other bonus features to look out for. Landing three, four or five scatter symbols rewards you with free spins, while the Pegasus symbol acts as a Wild that substitutes all your symbols on all 20 paylines.
Jackpot Giant
This 5-reeler comes with fun graphics that spin you into a land of volcanoes, a very friendly giant and some really cool bonus features. The Mountain symbol can trigger a bonus game with instant prizes when it appears on the first and last reels at the same time. Five Golden symbols will give you a whopping 50,000x multiplier. And, of course, there’s the big prize, which you can win on a max bet by filling up the middle payline with Golden symbols.
What are progressive jackpot slots – how they work
Still wondering exactly how progressive jackpot slots work? Think of them as regular online pokies where the wins are awarded by a random number generator. But there’s one big difference as a large prize pool is also added on to the payouts.
Every time a player puts down a stake on the game, a portion goes towards the prize pool. This means that online progressive jackpots don’t have a maximum payout, as the amount keeps on increasing until somebody wins it. This makes the winnings a lot higher than what you can land with a regular pokie, which is why progressive jackpots have paid out millions in prize over the years.
Different types of jackpots
There are many different types of jackpot games to enjoy. Below, we take a look at the main ones.
- Network Jackpots – Also referred to as Wide Area Jackpots, these are the real million makers as the prize amount tends to climb very high, very fast. This is because there are multiple NZ online casinos contributing to the same prize. These progressive jackpot pokies are run by the game developers themselves with an open invitation to partnered casinos to take part.
- Fixed Jackpots – The maximum payout in these games has a set value and doesn’t change, regardless of how many players put down a stake. This type of jackpot isn’t limited to pokies, but can be added on to video poker, table games and even scratch cards. The amount will always be significantly smaller than that awarded for progressive games, but the RTP percentage tends to be better. Plenty of free pokies with fixed jackpots are available for players who want to get a feel for them.
- Standalone – A standalone progressive jackpot works in a similar way to the network types. However, the prize is not linked to other games, so it only increases when bets are placed on the specific pokie. Because of this, the maximum jackpot tends to be much smaller. These are also sometimes referred to as local jackpots.
- House – These are organised by the specific online casino, rather than by a game provider. An operator will usually include a large number of participating games, and any bet placed on the eligible titles gives you a chance to win the big jackpot.
- Daily or other time limited jackpots – Many operators offer jackpot pokies where the prize drops at a specific point in time. Spinz, for instance, run daily and weekly jackpots, while Wildz has a selection that drops every 10 minutes. The more frequent the drop, the lower the prize pool as players won’t have had a chance to contribute as much as for the bigger progressives.
Biggest jackpot pokie wins – current record holders
Will the best jackpot pokies really deliver multi-million dollar wins? Becoming a millionaire overnight may sound too good to be true, but that’s exactly what’s happened multiple times thanks to the biggest progressive jackpot drops. Below we revisit some of the record-breakers.
| Jackpot pokie | Win (NZ$) | Date | Casino |
|---|---|---|---|
Megabucks | 77,333,000 | March, 2003 | Excalibur casino |
Absolootly Mad: Mega Moolah | 35,360,000 | April, 2021 | Napoleon casino |
34,481,456 | September, 2018 | Grand Mondial casino | |
32,555,897 | January, 2013 | Paf.com | |
Mega Moolah | 28,360,965 | October, 2015 | Betway casino |
Can you claim bonuses on progressive pokies?
If you’re committed to playing the best progressive jackpot pokies in NZ, you may be wondering whether you will be able to pick up any online casino bonuses for use on your favourite pokies. Below we go through some of the more common bonus offerings at New Zealand online casinos and whether these can be used on progressive jackpots.
Welcome bonuses
Most commonly, these take the shape of match deposits of between NZ$700 to NZ$1,500. More often than not, you’ll get your first deposit equally matched by the casino, which means that if you deposit NZ$20 your account will be credited with a total of NZ$40.
However, if your main intention is to play progressive jackpot pokies you should read the terms and conditions carefully to understand whether these are eligible for the bonus cash. Rizk casino, for instance, will allow you to use your 100% match deposit on progressives like Jackpot Raiders and Divine Fortune. EnergyCasino, on the other hand, excludes them.
Reload bonuses
These usually involve crediting your account with bonus money as a thank you for being a loyal player. This can be either as a percentage of your spend or as another match deposit offer. Once again, not all casinos will allow you to use this cash on a progressive title. Betandplay casino, for example, includes all progressive jackpots to the list of banned games when using a reload bonus.
Free spins bonuses
Sadly we have yet to come across free spins casino offers on progressives. Rather than being given a number of extra spins by the casino, progressive jackpot free spins are typically incorporated within the game itself. The best progressive jackpot pokies offer a variety of bonus games that, when triggered, can reward you with a number of free spins. Mega Moolah, Hall of Gods and Divine Fortune all fall within this category.
Popular software for progressive slots
The best progressive jackpot pokies in NZ are offered by leading software providers with plenty of experience in this casino game category. Below you’ll find our experts’ top three leaders in the realm of massive prizes.
How to win on progressive slot machines – expert tips
Look, there’s absolutely no way we can guarantee a win on progressive pokies. This is because they work in the same way as regular slots, which means that cashing out depends entirely on luck. However, our experts can offer a few tips to help boost your odds of winning a progressive jackpot.
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Read the betting rules carefully
With many progressive jackpot pokies you’ll only have a shot at the big prize if you wager the maximum stake. It’s very annoying to spend an hour chasing the jackpot only to find out you weren’t even in with a chance.
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Wait until the jackpot gets seriously high
If you’re after the big bucks, don’t bother playing when it has just reset. Many casinos offer jackpot tracking options, with sites like Casinoly showing the increasing prize pool in real time.
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Look for Must Drop Jackpots
Look out for jackpots where the prize is won at a specific hour or on a particular day. In this way you’re narrowing down your gameplay to that time period that actually gives you a good chance of winning.
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Don’t discount standalone jackpots
The prize is typically lower, which means that the competition is less tough.
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Look for higher RTP titles
The vast majority of progressive pokies have very low RTP percentages to make up for the size of the big prizes. Look for titles with high online casino payouts that is at least over 90%, like Beach Life.
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Choose games with more than one jackpot available
Many titles, such as Mega Moolah, comes with three to four different-sized jackpots.
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Always stick to your budget
Don’t get trapped in a circle of ‘maybe next one’s the charm’. Keep gambling safe and fun.
How are jackpots paid?
Now, we’re talking multi-million dollar wins here, and we all know that very few NZ online casinos have such generous withdrawal limits. So you are probably wondering how a progressive jackpot win is paid out.
Worry not – you won’t have to trickle out your mega win in instalments of NZ$4,000 for a lifetime. In the case of network jackpots and some standalone jackpots, it’s not the casino that pays out the money but the game developer that created the winning progressive pokie. Spinz, for example, makes it very clear in its terms and conditions that it’s only responsible for paying out local jackpots. These prizes usually run into millions and are paid in one large sum.
In case of a local jackpot, you’ll receive your winnings from the casino. In this case operators usually have special policies to by-pass the normal limits. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be able to get your hands on the entire sum immediately. Some, like BetandPlay, will do exactly that. But many operators bind themselves to transfer the winnings within a time-frame, such as six months. This is entirely reasonable as massive wins can create both cash flow and administrative issues for the casino.
Some operators will pay out a lump sum by the end of this time period. Others will honour a percentage and pay out the rest in instalments. This is something that should be ascertained by reading the individual terms and conditions of the site you’re playing on, as conditions vary wildly. And if you do win, expect a request to pose for some good publicity.
Should you play jackpot pokies – pros and cons
Progressive pokies are a dream game for many, offering easy entertainment and the possibility to dream of riches. For others, those riches turned from dream into reality. Are you a jackpot jockey, or are you still unsure if this is the game for you? Let’s take a look at some pros and cons..
Pros
- Nothing beats the thrills that a possible multi-million dollar prize can deliver.
- Most casinos will show the real-time prize pool prominently, so you know exactly how much you can win.
- Timed jackpots can give you a very precise indication of when the prize is likely to drop, allowing you to hedge your bets.
- The prizes for network jackpots increase literally by the second.
- Even if you don’t win the big one, most games have other in-built bonus features that can be very lucrative.
Cons
- Most progressive jackpot games have a lower RTP than normal slot games.
- You can get pulled into chasing the dream and exceed your budget.
Other popular casino games
Progressive jackpot pokie FAQs
What is the best online casino for jackpots?
Following rigorous testing by our experts, %currentPartner% has been found to offer the best progressive jackpot pokies for NZ players. With an excellent bonus and fair terms, as well as a super selection of progressive pokies, it scores high across the board. For other great options check out our curated list of the best online casinos for jackpots.
How does a progressive jackpot work?
Progressive jackpots offer the same thrill as normal pokies, but they also include a huge jackpot prize. Every time a player puts down a bet, a portion of this goes towards this big prize pool, which is why it usually runs into millions of NZ$. For more detailed information about the different types, check out our section on how progressive pokies work.
What are the best progressive jackpot pokies?
The progressive jackpot pokie with a reputation for massive payouts is Mega Moolah, and the game has broken several world records for the largest jackpot winnings. Other high paying titles include Major Millions, Mega Fortune and Hall of Gods. You will find more information in our section about top progressive jackpots.
How do you win progressive jackpot slots?
Like regular pokies, this is largely a matter of luck. However, there are certain hacks that you can use so as to increase your chances of landing the big prize. Check out our expert tips on how to win a progressive jackpot.
Is it better to play progressive slot machines?
If you’re after huge payouts, then yes it’s better to play progressive slots as the prize pool is much larger than the maximum winnings offered by regular pokies. However, the latter tend to have better RTP percentages, so it all depends on your priorities. We provide more details on the pros and cons of jackpots earlier.
Written by Ramona Depares
Ramona Depares is an award-winning journalist focused on cultural and entertainment related content. Based in the Mediterranean gaming hub of Malta, she has taken a deep interest in gambling related news since the earliest days and has seen the global landscape evolve. Ramona specialises in the legal and regulatory aspects of gaming across multiple jurisdictions, with specific interest in NZ and US markets. She is also a best-selling author of fiction and non-fiction books.