Lower bettors have frequently been sharing their frustrations on forums, particularly in recent years, no doubt related to the increasing toughness of slot machines. It’s adjacent to the “$20 doesn’t last like it used to” comments, which are absolutely fair given how slots have evolved.
It seems only a few people are still betting the minimum on slots these days- $5+ bets seems like the norm. With all these big bettors, not to mention those who like $10-$20 bets, do you think casinos (including online) are going to now make it EVEN MORE difficult to win on anything on less than a $5 bet?
Jacqueline H.
First off, casinos do not have the control over what bets qualify for various win possibilities, because that falls into the hands of the game makers and the way the games are designed. Casinos can decide which bet ranges to offer, and there has been a gradual shift to higher minimum bets (75 cents to a dollar a spin is more frequently the norm today), but a new Ultimate Fire Link (Jade Fire) came out with a 50 cent minimum bet, so that is not universal.
Let’s use myself as an example. In 2025 I won four Majors, all on $1.25 or less bets. Two were over $1,000; one was more than $2,300. Every single handpay I’ve had gambling has been on bets of $3 or less, and the frequency of handpays has been going up in more recent years.
My most recent jackpot, won just a week before I wrote this, was a double major on Phoenix Link, at minimum bet in the high limit room. This is definitely at the higher end of my betting range – $2.50 – but I’m not going to scoff at a 4,000x win relative to my bet either.
Slots are getting tougher, putting wins farther between but at the same time opening the doors for those types of wins. This can explain why similar bets are able to give jackpots with more frequency now than 10-15 years ago. But other elements of game design have changed to give lower bettors a shot at big jackpots.
The trend has been to make the bigger jackpots more accessible to lower betting players. 20 years ago you used to have to max bet to qualify – think things like Quick Hit games, Megabucks and such. The shift to multi-denomination games, and the ability for a much wider range of bets, came with a rethink to that which now increasingly means all prizes are eligible on a wider array of bets – you just have higher chances at higher bets.
At an industry conference this month I saw the first $1 million progressive available on any bet (starting at just 75 cents) – normally the rule of thumb on a Wide Area Progressive is a $3 minimum bet to qualify. So things continue to evolve to create more scenarios where lower bettors can qualify for truly amazing moments.
Now, there is definitely an evolution with machines that are making higher bets available on more machines as well, presuming casinos are comfortable with that (some don’t like to allow very big bets because it opens the chances for very big swings). High limit bets have drifted out of the high limit room to the main casino floor, but that means one machine can serve a wider array of players.
Game makers know some bet low, and they make sure a game can be enjoyed at any bet level. But it’s important to realize that games have gotten harder, and this isn’t specific to minimum bettors but impacts players across the board. Anyone can be selective and show just their best wins, without acknowledging the difficulty they faced getting there.
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I have been aboard the Emerald Princess, I have had a lot of fun playing 75 cent bets on a Train game, I have won as much as 400 plus dollars at that bet, and have been able to stay at the machine to have fun.
Great to hear of your cruise ship success! There’s definitely opportunities to be won at all bet levels!
Thanks for this post. I can’t wait to see more slots with chances to win the jackpot at any bet. Do you think this will be on cruise ships as well?
Many times cruise ships aren’t able to offer these giant progressives because they require physical verification when won (not easy if a ship’s at sea or in countries where the slot makers don’t have staff), and being linked to other slots in other locations, which is harder to do with cruise ship infrastructure. So we don’t anticipate seeing this on cruise ships.