As the online gambling industry continues to grow more and more software developers are trying to make their mark in the industry. Microgaming and NetEnt are some of the best known and most respected brands in the industry. There is one other that is able to compete with them on the highest quality level especially when it comes to progressives and that is Playtech. This leading casino gaming supplied has developed a range of top quality online games throughout the years which includes slots, table games, arcade games and of course progressive jackpots.

Some might even say that Playtech is king when it comes to the creation of progressive jackpot games. While their designs and graphics aren’t always on par with what NetEnt or Microgaming has to offer their progressive jackpots definitely make their games fan favourites with players online.

The company was only founded in 1999 but managed to catch up to its predecessors and establish itself as one of the biggest gaming software developers in the world with offices in 17 countries and licences for 20 regulated jurisdictions. Their gaming software is available for download as well as via web browser on desktop, tablet and mobile devices.

“Playtech Goes Public! In 2006 Playtech went public on the London Stock Exchange Main Market, their valuation at that time was a staggering half a billion pounds sterling!”

One of their main strengths is their ability to create intriguing progressives with more than one jackpot prize pool up for grabs.

“More Up This Sleeve… having made the best use of their resources Playtech have grown to offer online casino, poker, bingo, sports & virtual sports betting, live dealer games, Lottery and even a trading platform as a part of their product range.”

Where It All Began…

With leading companies such as Playtech creating a number of interesting and exciting progressive jackpot games one can’t help but wonder where it all started. The truth is that progressive jackpot games started in land based casinos. Inge Telnaes, a Norwegian mathematician, was the first to create a virtual reel that allowed slot machines to operate on a larger system while maintaining its original form. With his creation slot machines were able to provide players with more paylines which resulted in the potential for higher wagers and thereby bigger pay-outs.

“Father of RNG! In 1984 Telnaes patented the “Electronic Gaming Device Utilizing a Random Number Generator for Selecting the Reel Stop Positions” which was the forerunner of the Random Number Generator still used in online casinos today!”

In the early 70’s William Redd launched International Game Technology (IGT) who would go onto build the first progressive game network less than a decade later. Redd called his game: Megabucks slots, and they could be played for as little as 3 coins per spin.

The player hook for these progressive games was the idea that the jackpot would continue to swell and grow with every spin made at several gambling locations until one lucky player took it all! Then rather than be wiped out the jackpot would reset to a pre-determined value which meant it was possible to be a winner immediately after someone won a massive jackpot!

This ever present chance of winning, combined with this ebb and flow of potential payouts is why progressive games are still among fan favourites all these years later!

Go Big or Go Home!

Progressive jackpot games were first seen in land based casinos and other gambling establishments but when the online gambling market came to life these games were moved to online casinos and more recently mobile casinos – now players get the opportunity to spin for big wins when and where they choose to.

Enjoy The Playtech Big 5 of Progressive Games!

1. Jackpot Giant

Out of their entire range of progressive jackpot games on offer Jackpot Giant is the biggest and best-known. The game has been a big deal in the industry news lately due to its tremendous winning potential.

Jackpot Giant is themed around a friendly giant with plenty of beautiful animations, a breath-taking landscape backdrop and heaps of bonus features. When playing this 5 reels and 50 paylines slot you can trigger The Giant Bonus where you get to pick 3 out of 6 volcanoes to unlock cash prizes or hope for five gold wild symbols to appear on line 1 to trigger the jackpot. It’s a fun game but players tend to get frustrated when their spins don’t provide the life changing wins they were hoping for.

“Fair Warning! While Jackpot Giant is considered to be one of the largest progressive games available from Playtech the pay-outs aren’t as frequent as those on other progressive jackpot games.”

Since its launch only one player has managed to hit the progressive jackpot estimated at the time to be a total of $6.4 million. The progressive prize pool has been known to hit the $10,000,000 mark which causes a flurry of play from hopeful players which in turn keeps the jackpot growing – the cycle repeats itself until that fatal day when someone takes it all home!

2. Beach Life

For some fun in the sun without risking a terrible sunburn Beach Life is the progressive jackpot game you need to play. This 5 reels and 20 paylines slot is themed around a day at the beach with symbols that includes all things cool and refreshing including ice-cream, treats and even treasure chests. It’s a fun game that comes with one progressive jackpot and players love it. The game comes with a wild symbol that is the key to unlocking the big jackpot wins. If you land 5 wild symbols simultaneously the jackpot wins are yours for the taking.

“Did you know? Beach Life is the slot that paid out the biggest Playtech jackpot to date. The $8.2 million pay-out is to this day the biggest Playtech pay-out recorded.”

3. Age of the Gods

Age of the Gods is a progressive jackpot slot series that was released recently but has already become a player favourite. The series is themed around the mythical Greek Gods and Goddesses in Greek Mythology.

“Know Your Games: When Playtech retired the hugely popular marvel slots series they created an Age of the Gods variant for each individual Marvel slot. This ensured that players could continue to enjoy the same gameplay and prizes they enjoyed with Marvel, and Playtech didn’t run the risk of having to retire another branded title.”

The game list includes 9 games of which one is a roulette variant and each one is linked to the same 4 progressive jackpots. The list includes Age of the Gods, King of Olympus, Battle of the Gods, Goddess of Wisdom, Furious 4, and Prince of Olympus to name a few. Each of the slots is themed around either one or a selected few Greek gods or goddesses which gives you as a player a chance to brush up on your knowledge on mythology while hoping to cash in on some big wins.

Each of the slots in the series also come with their own set of theme related bonus features to help keep the fun going. The four progressives on offer are Power, Super Power, Extra Power and Ultimate Power. The latter is the biggest jackpot pool that can be won on the slot.

“Slot/Roulette Crossover? The Age of the Gods series comes with a Roulette variant that has a 95.73% RTP for those looking to break away from the slot games and try another type of game of chance.”

Have your say: While you are reading through the progressives mentioned you might find yourself agreeing or disagreeing with some of the views. Instead of keeping your opinion to yourself why not join the GamblersPick community where your voice is guaranteed to be heard? You can sign up for free and join other avid online gamblers by giving honest reviews on your experience with games and casinos in the online casino world.

4. Cat in Vegas

Whether you’ve had a hard day need some refreshing entertainment, or you’re just feeling adventurous, Cat in Vegas is the progressive slot to play. This 5 reel and 20 payline slot allows you to head into the streets of Vegas with a stylish feline, Felix, to accompany you.

The game comes with a Free Spins feature where you can indulge in up to twenty free spins and five sticky wilds per bonus game or spin the Wheel of Luck for a multiplier prize.

The biggest and most rewarding feature of all is the Vegas Slots Bonus – as this is where you stand to win the tantalising progressive jackpot prize pool. To trigger this feature you need to land three slot machine symbols anywhere on reel 1, 3 and five. Check the red jackpot box to keep an eye on the growing prize pool which it the 1 million mark!

5. Everybody’s Jackpot

In and amongst Playtech’s more classic progressive jackpot games is Everybody’s Jackpot which comes with a unique twist – a shared Mystery Progressive Jackpot.

The base game is themed around a reality TV show with a beautiful hostess waiting to reveal your prizes. It’s a 3 reels and 8 paylines slot that comes with a free spins feature which is a little unusual for a three reel slot but nothing to complain about.

Then comes the progressive jackpot twist - yes you can win but since it’s a community jackpot you will get the biggest amount to take home (70%) if you’re lucky enough to trigger it, however 15% is paid out to qualifying players and another 15% to players who’ve qualified based on the size of the wagers placed in the last 24 hours.

In order to qualify all you need to have done is place a €50 wager within 24 hours of someone winning the jackpot! As the jackpot is triggered at random so it all comes down to the luck of the draw at the end of the day.

These are only some of the most popular progressive jackpot games Playtech has to offer. If you’re looking for something different however you can always opt to try their progressive blackjack and Baccarat variants.

Say It Loud, Say It Proud!

Seeing a big potential payout from just one progressive jackpot game is enough to spark a desire to sign up and start playing at the first online casinos. Unfortunately it isn’t always the best choice which is why we’ve created GamblersPick Select Casino – a list of all the top rated and most trusted online casinos offering games from big industry names like Playtech, NetEnt and Microgaming.

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