Megabucks Slot Machines

Megabucks slot machines are a timeless feature of nearly every state in the United States.

They are behind some of the biggest jackpots in the history of slot gameplay, and while fascinating devices that draw millions of players, you would do well to take a closer look at how these machines work. 

Although they offer the chance to win multi-million-dollar rewards, with some legendary jackpots reaching $39.7 million, you need to understand that the game as a whole offers a somewhat smaller return.

What Is Megabucks and How Does It Work?

Megabucks is one of the most popular progressive jackpot slot games of all time. The game is customary to casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada, although the game is available well across the Silver State, and other states in the US.

Developed by International Game Technology (IGT) in 1986, this is one of the earliest progressive jackpot games to have made an enormous commercial success and created a legacy that is still ongoing for more than 30 years after the slot was invented.

The game is pretty straightforward, too. Players play across three reels and a single payline, keeping things as straightforward as they can get. All you try to do is match the winning symbols, be that 7’s, cherries, or bars, in a straight line to trigger a win.

This may sound frightfully drab or unappealing, but there is an appeal in all of this indeed. It’s the progressive jackpot win, which can easily reach $20 million or $30 million in prize money. After all, the game itself starts at the $10 million guaranteed jackpot.

The Megabucks slot machine can be played for as little as $1 per spin, but you would need to bet the maximum available amount – $3 – to have a chance to trigger the jackpot.

How to Trigger the Megabucks Progressive Jackpot?

A Megabucks slot machine will allow you to trigger the progressive jackpot by simply betting the maximum possible value worth $3. The jackpot is awarded if you manage to get three “Megabucks” symbols straight on the payline.

The jackpot is won right away, provided you have lined up all three symbols this way. The value of the jackpot is not fixed, and it can increase indefinitely, which means that you will stand to win either the minimum $10 million prize pool or whatever the prize amount is right now.

Most players who play Megabucks do so to trigger the progressive jackpot, which means that they are happy to pay the $3 minimum bet prerequisite for a chance to trigger an eight-figure payday.

Megabucks progressive jackpot is remarkably easy to trigger, too. This is because if you do lineup the three symbols, the jackpot drops plain and simple. However, a simple look at the odds will tell you that things are a little more complicated than that.

How Hard Is It to Hit the Megabucks Jackpot?

The odds of actually winning the Megabucks jackpot are eye-wateringly high. You have 1 in 49 million chances to win. In other words, you have better odds at becoming a president of the United States, estimated at roughly 1 in 10 million, or getting a royal flush in poker at just 1 in 649,740.

To put it in other words, hitting the Megabucks jackpot is hard. Can you realistically expect to hit the jackpot if you were to play for an hour every day for 30 years? The answer would still be no. You would have about a 0.0007% chance of winning.

Of course, realistically the more you play the higher the chance you have of winning the megabucks jackpot, but the truth is that you are starting from an already very low base, and one that you may never catch up to.

Besides, by the time you complete your 30 years of playing you will have played 328,500 spins, worth exactly $985,500, and this is not a sum you can easily sneeze at.

However, if you are only playing Megabucks slot machines casually, and enjoy the thrill of trying your hand at the game, there is no shame in giving it a shot.

How Come the Megabucks Jackpot Is So Big?

There are several good reasons why the Megabucks jackpot is as big as it is. For starters, the game has a huge appeal to jackpot hopefuls. This means that there is a constant stream of people slotting in money to play.

Not only that but the game uses a wide-area network slot, which means that multiple game machines tied into the same jackpot will make it so that you get to play for a bigger reward. It does help that the basic jackpot is set at $10 million, which already gives the game a pretty far reach insofar as jackpots go.

The long odds of the game also mean that the jackpot is not won too frequently. Remember that in the game’s several-decade history, only 1,000 or so people have won the jackpot! Not least, the fact that you can win eye-watering amounts is making people play – whether seriously and consistently, or just out of curiosity looking to try their luck.

How Many People Have Won the Megabucks Jackpot

The Megabucks progressive jackpot has been won by 1,000 people so far since the game was conceived in 198. Does this mean that they were incredibly lucky? Yes, it does.

While it is hard to give a correct estimate of how many people have tried playing on the Megabucks slot machines, they must easily be running in the tens of millions.

Out of these people, only 1,000 have won, giving you a pretty clear representation of just how hard it is to win! The fact that people have won before, though, suggests that there is a chance.

Can I Hope to Realistically Win?

Yes and no. As we have explained, statistically you are very unlikely to win, but so have previous winners. So, in other words, you can hope to win the jackpot, of course, but it would be a very rare thing.

There are other considerations as well. For example, you need to understand that while Megabucks progressive jackpot is captivating all by itself, offering an eye-watering jackpot, it is similarly a game that will not help you set off any losses you incur during normal levels.

The game offers one of the highest volatilities in the world, meaning that while you are expected to win a decent amount, on average, the frequency of wins would not help you cover most of the value of the spins you have already committed.

Without extra features and other gameplay mechanics to help alleviate some of the pressure, you will quickly find yourself in a place where the expenses are quickly mounting up. The game has only an 87% theoretical return which is pretty low, even for progressive jackpots.

In the end, Megabucks jackpot slot is an appealing game, but it will not appeal to everyone, not at all. Players who love to play a broader range of games as a rule of thumb will see each other easily left behind and bored.

However, for those people out there for whom the thought of having a chance to win a life-altering amount, the game will be more than enough to keep them entertained as it has people for more than 30 years now.

Can you hope to realistically win? It’s a fool’s hope, but one that is worth maintaining nevertheless if you find the game to be to your liking.

Is Megabucks a Vegas Thing?

Not necessarily. Although Megabucks slot machines are usually associated with Vegas, the truth is that these progressive jackpot machines are available in many other states as well.

However, any state that permits wide-area progressive jackpots such as New Jersey, Mississippi, Connecticut, and California, is happy to host these games, but so are many more.

Megabucks Slots vs Megabucks the Lottery

Megabucks can be seen as a slot and lottery game, but there is a difference between the two. To start with, Megabucks slot is a game licensed by International Game Technology, featuring a progressive jackpot and a wide area jackpot mechanic.

This means that multiple machines over an extended area will all contribute to the jackpot value of a game. The Megabucks lottery game is not in any way associated with either IGT or the original slot game, and it’s developed independently.

You can win the lottery jackpot with pretty much any ticket, unlike the slot where you have to bet the maximum possible amount.

Can I Play Megabucks Slots Online?

No, you may not play Megabucks slots online – at least not the version that is pioneered by IGT. The game is strictly restricted to land-based casinos and states where wide-area jackpot networks are supported.

You won’t find the game available online, but you may find some interesting alternatives, such as Divine Fortune and Mega Moolah. These games do offer substantial prizes, but they may end up paying out much less than Megabucks, so keep this in mind.