Why Is Microgaming So Darn Successful in the Progressive Slots Market?

Success can be attributed to many things. For casino software developer Microgaming Systems, the key ingredient, according to spokesperson Marilyn Glazier-Shacham, is making the games, "fun, fair, and accountable." It's this philosophy that has made the company's progress slot systems the most successful games of their kind on the Internet.

The company's oldest and most popular progressive game is Cashsplash. Introduced in September 1998, Cashsplash is a three-reel, three-coin single-line progressive slot machine connected to several casinos using the company's proprietary software. The game's popularity has grown swiftly in two years and is now available at more than 50 online casinos. Two additional progressive games--"Wowpot," another three-reel, three-coin, single-line progressive slot and "Lotsaloot," a three-reel, three-coin, five-line progressive slot game--were added last April. These were followed in August by two more games: "Supajax," a video poker progressive and "Fruit Fiesta," a three-reel, three-coin, three-line progressive slot.

All of the games are connected to Microgaming's "Playcheck" facility, which allows gamers to access and review their play logs at any time.

Thousands of players participate in the games, which can be played in denominations from $0.25 to $1. Pay-out percentages are in excess of 94 percent and are regularly and independently verified by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

"As with any brick-and-mortar progressive game," Glazier-Shacham explains, "the jackpots on the Internet games are paid out on full bets only."

That means jackpots are hefty. The combined pay-out for jackpots (not including regular pay-outs) has surpassed $14 million. Cashsplash, for example, averages nearly $1.5 million per month in jackpots, while Lotsaloot pays out nearly $250,000 a month. Plus, Cashsplash jackpots are frequently won more than once a day.

In addition to the cash pay-outs, Microgaming has just launched its "winner's kit," which will include clothing and memorabilia related to the player's win.

"To demonstrate the popularity of Lotsaloot, one lady player has won the jackpot on more than one occasion across two separate casinos with an accumulative value of in excess of $280,000," Glazier-Shacham related. "This is unprecedented in the history of progressive games!"

The jackpots will grow even bigger when the company begins offering the progressive games in languages additional to English. The progressives are currently offered only in English, however, Glazier-Shacham says more languages will be incorporated in the near future.

Microgaming generally leaves marketing of the progressive games to the individual operators, although it has established a portal site for them at www.jackpotmadness.com. The site keeps a running real-time jackpot counter for curious players as well as links to casinos offering Microgaming's progressive games. It also features a casino search page where players can select a casino based upon their favorite jackpot game, current jackpot values or the price of placing a jackpot-enabled bet.

Winners are also featured on the site, as well as details about how much money has been won during the month or the total Jackpot Madness money paid.

"Microgaming progressives continue to blaze new trails," says Glazier-Shacham, "and the current stable of five progressive games is set to increase in the near future. We are dedicated to providing new and innovative games and systems which will remain at the forefront of the industry without sacrificing our commitments to our operators and their customers."