Some casinos opt to cap progressives at certain values. There’s a specific reason for this, but not the one some players think it is:
I think some casinos manipulate the major so you think it is maxed.
Allen N.
On many machines casinos do have the ability to put a cap on progressives. This cap can be an upper limit they’re allowed to progress, or it can even be capped at the reset value, basically meaning it never increments.
The cap is not to fool players. It’s more economical in nature.
Capping Progressives Limits a Casino’s Liability
Gaming regulations generally require casinos to keep a certain amount of cash on hand to be able to play out the various top prizes the casinos offer on hand. In a worst case scenario for the casinos (and best case for us as players) where a lot of these happen to get awarded in a short period, the casino would have enough cash on hand to pay out these big prizes.
That means the larger they grow, the more cash the casino would potentially need to keep on hand for that worst case scenario. Capping that progressive also caps that liability.
Capping Progressives Lowers Long-Term Payouts
Progressives are a small percentage of a slot machine’s expected payout over time, but it’s still part of that payback. If a casino wants to hang on to a larger share of the payback, freezing the progressives or restricting them from growing past a certain number also allows them to shave a bit off the payback of a slot.
The funny thing is at many casinos where we see this, not all progressives are handled this way, and sometimes not even on the same machines. So if you want to find a better option, you can simply look around for ones that aren’t capped, including potentially other installations of the same game.
Takeaway
It’s not to fool us – it’s a money decision. If you don’t like the decisions casinos make in this realm, the easiest solution is to play at a casino that’s more friendly to players from that perspective. But it’s a simpler answer than making us think something that it’s not (and most players are familiar enough with slots to know the difference).
Have a question? Submit yours here!
