Jo Purvis, Director of Key Accounts and Marketing UK at Blueprint Gaming, explains that the potential of a significant jackpot payout is still a firm favourite with players.
The recent news that Britain’s biggest ever Euromillions winners went public after scooping a massive £184million reached international media attention, illustrating the continued widespread interest in mega jackpot wins.
For decades jackpots have resonated with a wide audience of players, whether it is participating in a national lottery draw or playing an online slot game. The ability to win a vast sum of money from a small stake is highly attractive, while such a prize provides that crucial escapism that elevates the overall entertainment factor, allowing us to dream about the fun and intriguing ways of spending the fortune with friends and family.
Within the online slots sector, jackpots remain hugely popular and there will always be a strong demand from both operators and players for this type of product offering. The main prize on offer simply cannot be matched within the base gameplay of a slot, which determines why a large segment of players opt to play games that offer a jackpot prize.
In recent times, developers have extended their jackpot products to include pots that drop before they reached a fixed amount or within a specific time period. Of course, these have been effective in keeping players interested and engaged while funds are added to a progressive pot.
However, in our experience it is the main jackpot prize that continues to be the key driver for retention. Smaller pots that drop more frequently are valuable in complementing the big jackpot but will always play the supporting role.
Keeping jackpots attractive
The main challenge for the industry is to keep these main jackpot prizes fresh and appealing to players. Naturally, progressive pots are ideal for marketing initiatives, with many online casinos already displaying the live feed of its current value without a player needing to load the game.
From a developer perspective, suppliers need to be in a position where they can provide operators with a constant flow of new games featuring progressive jackpot functionality. The availability of new games that contribute into the main pot is an effective approach to maintain player interest and spark further engagement.
In addition, delivering a jackpot games offering packed with a mix of themes and mechanics is of paramount importance. It means players can enjoy their preferred gaming experience, instead of being required to engage with one particular game mechanic type just to be eligible to play the jackpot.
At Blueprint Gaming, we regularly introduce new games to our Jackpot King offering, ensuring players have the widest selection of titles to choose from. Most recently, we integrated Jackpot King functionality to one of our top-performing games Fishin’ Frenzy: The Big Catch, which has reignited the title’s popularity within the slots community, as well as reach the attention of new players who predominantly engage with jackpot games.
Of course, there is always room to evolve products and introduce innovative concepts that takes the overall experience forward. We continue to explore how we can take Jackpot King forward and ensure it remains fresh and appealing within today’s marketplace.
Ultimately though, it will be the grand jackpot prize that promises the payout of a six or seven-figure sum that will make the difference. Players will inevitably favour a game which offers a sizeable fortune. The excitement and anticipation that these pots deliver are what sets them apart from the competition and attracts the biggest crowd.
