We get asked quite a bit about progressives and bonus jackpots, like the ones on Lightning Link. This is a variation of a question we get all the time:
Are the odds of hitting a jackpot (mini, minor, etc) the same if you are betting the same dollar amount at different denominations?
For example: Are your odds the same to hit a mini betting $5.00 on a 1 cent denom the same as betting $5.00 on a 10 cent denom?
The bonuses are higher as denom increases, but do your odds of hitting them decrease at the lower bet levels on the higher denom?
Joe O.
The easy way to tell when your odds are impacted is what happens when you switch bets within a denomination, and then what happens when you switch denomination.
Let’s use Lightning Link and its siblings as an example here, since that tends to be where a lot of these questions derive. With this game series, the Mini and Minor are flat jackpots, not progressives, and they only change when you change denomination.
So, your odds to change when you change denomination, because the prize amount changes, for the Mini and Minor. If you’re betting $5 on a one cent denomination, it’s a $10 Mini worth 2x your bet – it’ll come out a lot. On 10 cent denomination, it’s a $100 Mini worth 20x your bet – it definitely won’t out as often.
Here’s the thing most players don’t realize – on games like this, the Mini and Minor are largely just for show. What’s the difference between a ball that says 1000 credits and a Mini on penny denomination? Absolutely nothing. But psychologically, players get excited about it.
Of course, if you’re doing $5 bets, you could have a Mini party across the screen but it’s no different than a stack of 2x valued balls.
It’s worth noting that by comparison, your odds are the same for winning the Major or Grand, as they are progressives shared across all denominations, and the odds of winning them change based on the totality of your bet. If your bet’s the same, your odds are the same, regardless of denomination.
Now, on other game series, like All Aboard, the value of the Mini and Minor change based on your bet. In those cases, the odds of winning them are exactly the same, as the value is proportional to your bet. And you can presume because of that consistent ratio, there’s also a bit more of a purpose to those prizes, although again they’re flat jackpots and could theoretically be the same as a credit prize with that number.
But if you compare the Mini to the number values that show up on the coins, it seems a bit more intentional in design.
So hopefully that helps – yes, upping the denomination also ups the value. But they become more out of reach. And as it stands, they’re just credit prizes on a ball visualized as a jackpot.
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