What is Wide-area progressive jackpot?
A wide-area progressive jackpot is a prize pool that grows from bets placed on linked machines across many different casinos, often spanning a whole state or region, rather than within a single venue.
Each qualifying bet on any linked machine adds a small amount to one shared jackpot, which can grow far larger than a jackpot confined to a single casino floor. IGT's Megabucks network, launched in Nevada in 1986, is the best known example and has produced several multimillion dollar wins, including the largest slot jackpot on record.
Because so many machines feed the same prize, the odds of hitting a wide-area progressive are usually far longer than for jackpots linked within one casino. Operators do not always publish the exact odds, but independent analysis of game specifications has put some versions at roughly 1 in 50 million per spin.