James King, chief marketing officer at Conquer Casino UK, tells CasinoBeats that jackpot games are now a major part of any successful online casino

If you look at the game lobbies of most online casino operators, you will notice they are becoming increasingly dominated by jackpot slots.

Most now have dedicated jackpot tabs so that players can easily find all the jackpot games offered, while others have real-time tickers with up to date prize pools and wins.

It is clear, then, that jackpot slots are a critical piece of the puzzle for online casino operators looking to engage players, and deliver the games that meet their needs.

But why have jackpot games become so popular of late?

It has a lot to do with changing player preferences, as well as developers pushing the boundaries with new and exciting games hooked up to jackpots.

At the end of the day, players are attracted to games that offer life changing prizes, and this is certainly what they get with jackpot slots, particularly networked progressives.

Big-name networked progressive titles like Mega Fortune and Mega Moolah regularly pay out millions of pounds to players, and from relatively low stakes.

These games have been around for several years now, and are among the most spun games in the portfolios of the operators that offer them.

For other players, the size of the win isn’t necessarily important – they just like to know that an additional prize pot can be unlocked at any time during the game.

Regardless of the size of the jackpot, players are drawn to the heightened anticipation and thrill these titles offer over standard slot games.

This has become even more the case with the rise of video games and mobile games, the majority of which offer compelling player experiences with tons of excitement.

Some standard slots games struggle to compete with the likes of Fortnite and World of Tanks, but with the addition of a jackpot players can experience the same levels of “edge-of-your-seat” gameplay.

“traditional jackpot games are popular with older players, while more modern titles appeal to a younger demographic

But which jackpot games are the most popular?

The most popular jackpot titles will vary from casino to casino, and depending on the type of player they have built their casino to appeal to.

Here at Conquer Casino, our jackpot lobby is made up of more traditional jackpot games like Microgaming’s Tunzamuni and King Cashalot.

That said, we also offer modern titles such as NetEnt’s Divine Fortune and iSoftBet’s Chill Gold 2 – Stellar jackpots.

We find that our more traditional jackpot games are popular with our slightly older players, while our more modern titles appeal to a younger demographic.

By offering both types of jackpot game, we can ensure we provide something for everyone and that Conquer Casino appeals to the masses.

What’s next for jackpot games?

We are already seeing some game developers take jackpot games to the next level.

For example, Red Tiger Gaming offers daily jackpots that pay-out before a pre-determined time of day or prize amount is reached.  

These games really ramp up the anticipation and excitement that standard jackpot and progressive jackpot slots offer.

I also think we will see more game developers add jackpots to some of their most popular titles retrospectively, as players continue to demand bigger and bigger wins.

From an operator’s perspective, this is a good thing – jackpots not only help us better engage players, but they also provide us with unique marketing opportunities.

This is certainly true when prize pools hit big figures. Here at Conquer Casino, we use these situations to engage players through ads in the game lobby and via social media.

When it comes to it, jackpot slots appeal to players because there is always that chance a normal win will become a life changing win.

What’s more, as new forms of media and entertainment deliver thrills and spills to consumers, jackpot slots are able to provide similar and sometimes superior experiences.

It is for these reasons that they will continue to be a vital addition to any online casino operators game portfolio.