Today, progressive jackpots are found at almost all online casinos, primarily featured on various video slots and certain table games. However, it all started with classic slots progressive jackpots several decades ago. It was an idea that would change the entire gambling industry forever, adding the element of excitement hardly found with other casino games.

The first classic slot to feature a progressive jackpot was invented by International Game Technology, better known in the industry by its acronym IGT. The company introduced the concept to land-based casinos in Las Vegas in 1986. The idea was simple, yet effective. All Megabucks machines in a particular casino would help create the progressive jackpot, with every single bet on any of the machines contributing a small percentage. Likewise, any machine could randomly pay out the main jackpot if the player would land a combination of three Megabucks symbols.

Overtime, the jackpot network expanded to include more and more casinos, which, as a consequence, led to bigger and faster growing jackpots. Today, there are more than 140 casinos in Las Vegas connected to this classic slot progressive jackpot network, with the highest amount ever won being just shy of $40 million.

When it comes to online casinos, classic slots progressive jackpots never became too popular, simply because by the time online casinos were born, video slots have already established their dominance. However, there are still a few classic slots with progressive jackpots that attract players' attention.

One of them is Microgaming's Cash Splash, a classic slot machine available at nearly all Microgaming casinos. Cash Splash was, in fact, the first online progressive jackpot to hit the virtual shelves. Originally, it featured three reels and just a single payline. Later on, a new, video version of the slot was launched, with five reels and 15 paylines.

NetEnt, another popular developer, has its own classic slot progressive jackpot, in the form of the Mega Joker slot. This classic slot features symbols such as 7s, bells, cherries, and lemons, three reels, five fixed paylines, and, of course, a progressive jackpot that adds to the excitement.